Unbreakable: Winter Break
by Raging Raion
Summary: [Season 2] With Arcadia Bay destroyed from the storm, the trio moved on with their lives and finally settled down in L.A. Max thought her adventures with drama were well behind her. And then Victoria wanted to become Max's new bestie out of nowhere created the biggest cat fight with Chloe and Rachel and worst part about it all was, they were all fighting over Max.
1. Episode 1: Friends? (Max Caulfield)

**Disclaimer:** All rights reserved to the original owners and business partners, DONTNOD ENTERTAINMENT and SQUARE-ENIX. AW acknowledges _Life Is Strange_ is not our work we have no legal rights over the story or the original characters. The only thing that we legally own is the plot idea and any OC we create. Also, for those who don't read the **Profile** , the characters of the fan fictions are straight. They have a pure affection for each other yes but it doesn't develop into anything misleading or sexual. If you, the reader, can not make that distinction you are more than welcome to post a public question or send AW an e-mail and we will address the question or have author Artzenin address the question herself. Pure affection isn't wrong, it isn't sinful, it's not a trend. It is not popular depending on where you live in the world and people tend to associate any form of contact between members of the same and opposite sex with sinful behavior the moment they see it. This company counters that with the non-sexual soulmate themes from start to finish. If this offends anyone of any race or sexual orientation you do not have to read this story or our other fan works. However if the reader chooses to stay and enjoys the non-sexual soulmate themes we use for fan fictions, then we highly recommend checking out our anime graphic novel series, Search For The Griffin. This series will be released here on Wattpad, FictionPress, and Lulu this fall.

 **—AW Staff**

* * *

 _ **Previously on Unbreakable: Summer Vacation...**_

* * *

 **Rachel:** Listen. I know we need to talk Chloe. And we will but you seem distracted with Max at the moment. Go on your road trip with her and get it out of your system. When you come back, we'll chill then. Besides... I don't think you can handle both of us at the same time.

 **Chloe:** And just what is _that_ supposed to mean?

 **Rachel:** You heard me.

 **Chloe:** I bet you I can. What could possibly go wrong? If anything does, Max can rewind and you can fast forward, so there.

 **Rachel:** Prove it then, _without_ relying on our powers to help you.

 **Chloe:** I can and will. The three of us will go on a road trip together and conquer in the process.

 **[]**

 **Chloe:** You know I was hoping he'd stay at the hotel for another four weeks. Better yet, forever.

 **Joyce:** We talked about everything and I told him this much. He is not to treat us like prisoners of war or suspects from a horrible murder scene. His reasons, once explained, made sense but I let him know how much I didn't appreciate his methods. Now, let's not talk about this in front of Rachel. And just so you know Chloe, the reason I let him come back should be obvious. I'm his wife and he's my husband and your step-father whether you like that reality or not. You need to accept it Chloe.

 **Chloe:** Not a chance! I'd rather eat glass!

 **[]**

 **Chloe:** Max... you're a fugitive along with me. We _both_ agreed to steal the money that night.

 **Max:** _We?_ Oh no, Chloe _I_ was against it from the start! I never wanted to touch the money, but you wouldn't shut up about it... said Frank would destroy us if he didn't get his money.

 **Chloe:** May I remind you, _you_ were the one who said Frank might talk if we paid him?

 **Max:** Yes but that was only after you kept nagging me.

 **Chloe:** Max, the point is if this gets out, you can kiss your scholarship goodbye. They're going to raise a fit about that money soon and if they identify us, we're both screwed. Especially you. So unless you have a better idea, L.A. it is. Now do you see why I wanted to speak with you? I wanted to wait but this is serious and I need you to think about your options and try to see where I'm coming from here.

 **[]**

 **Rachel:** Max, that might of been true in the beginning but since I've lived with you I've come to enjoy you. You make me happy.

 **Max:** I make you happy? I thought that was Chloe's department?

 **Rachel:** Why does it always have to be about Chloe? I chose to get serious with this friendship so by kissing you on the cheek, to me, it wasn't going to symbolize competition... it was going to symbolize that you mean something to me and for some reason, that bothered me but then I got mad at myself because I didn't want it to bother me.

 **Max:** Why?

 **Rachel:** Because I want to be your friend. Your best friend. If you'll have me?

 **Max:** Sure. That wasn't so hard to say, now was it?

 **Rachel:** Actually it was. I'm not used to caring about others so, um... when I open up and truly care it's hard for me to sort through my feelings. Trust me, I did the same thing with Chloe and Frank.

 **Max:** So what's stopping you from kissing me now?

 **Rachel:** Nothing I suppose.

 **Max:** Then go ahead and seal your new found tradition. Just don't break me or Chloe will have issues.

 **Rachel:** Of course. I said I'd protect you but it looks like the first person you needed protection from was me.

 **[]**

 **Chloe:** The park fire. Do you remember starting a fire at the park when we were younger in a alternate reality and what you did at your parents house after the Tempest play?

 **Rachel:** Yes. I remember it. You want to know... if I can still use that power, right? That's what this is really about, isn't?

 **[]**

 **Victoria:** Why can she _and_ Rachel control time at will? And is it really possible that Max, just by looking a photo with herself in it, can travel back to that moment in history? Does anyone else have this strange power?

 **Chloe:** No. As far as we know, there is no one else who has the power like they do. And to answer your earlier questions. Yes, Max can travel back to any time frame as long as she's in the photo. Rachel, can not do this. Where she fast forwards time, I can see why she can't do what Max does but Rachel has the ability to go straight to any moment of her liking as long as she knows what she's about to do. So, now that you know that this is all true... are you going to take responsibility for this knowledge I've verified, despite my best to keep it from you and become part of their lives? Are you going to keep this a secret and give your everything to protect them or are you going to use their power to your advantage and request that they do something for you?

* * *

I snuggled into the pillows, moaning softly. I don't know how much time might passed since I started to come to, but something inside of me was telling me to get up. I tried to ignore my gut feeling but in the end, internal instincts won over and my eyes slowly peeked open. I saw a white wall that was unfamiliar to me. This told me, wherever I was at, the bedroom I was in was not mine, Rachel's or Chloe's from the studio. Judging by the faint streaks of dusky red that bathed the wall through the window blinds behind me, it was still fairly early. As much as I didn't want to move, I tried to get up but stopped mid way, feeling a wave of discomfort. My head strangely felt light but also packed full of bricks. Against my will, my head rolled around slightly from should to shoulder. I had to shake it a few times before I felt like I had control but the unpleasant sensations remained. Groaning, I moved my hand out from under the pillows and rubbed at my face, taking a moment to collect my scattered thoughts and get my bearings straight.

 _Ugh! My head. It feels like someone is trying to force it open with claws._

My stomach muscles constricted without warning, followed by a sickly growl of anger. Gagging slightly, my hand quickly traveled down my face and covered my mouth in attempt to keep back what tried to force itself up my throat.

 _Ohh that did not taste good going back down._

I laid still for a moment and thought if I didn't make any sudden movements, my stomach would settle.

 _I feel car sick, air sick, sea sick and whole bunch of other sicks... wha... what happened last night? Where am I?_

Carefully rotating onto my back, I pulled myself up, using my elbows as a support to steady myself. Glancing down at the covers that were half way draped across my legs, I saw that my pants and shoes had been removed, but other then that, I was still dressed. However, seeing my pants _off_ my legs and having no collection as to why that was made me nervous. What happened to me, that resorted in my pants getting taken off? Holding my breath, I lifted the covers, tossed them to the side and tried to sit up all the way but something pinned me down—around my waist and pulled me closer. Alarmed, I froze and stared straight ahead for a good minute or so before finding the courage to slowly turn my head to see who was in the bed with me. My sleepy eyes widened when I realized that the person keeping me captive, was none other than Victoria Chase.

 _Dude_. _Victoria? What is she doing here? Oh screw that, why am_ _ **I**_ _with her?_

I sat there in silence, stunned at the truth staring me in the face.

 _Why?!_

My mind screamed.

 _Why are we in the bed like this?_ _I faintly remember trying to find Victoria and Chloe._

My eyes widened again.

 _Chloe!_

All at once, everything from last night came rushing back to me. The fight I heard between Victoria and Chloe, to Victoria admitting that she knew about my power to finally passing out in her arms. All of these moments flashed through my mind like lighting dancing throughout the sky. Due to my sensitive state, recalling these memories made my sloshed mind sway around, which resulted in making me double over and open my mouth against my will. Once again, I had to grit my teeth and swallow hard a few times to keep things back. Eventually, I was going to puke my guts up. I didn't _want_ to do that but it was the only way I'd be free of this torment I think. Either that or I keep forcing it away and that wasn't ideal for me in any way but my stomach issues aside, I now understand why Victoria and I are in the same bed.

 _Okay. So, Chloe and I-_

I paused in the middle of my jumbled up thoughts and glanced around the room. There, on the couch, sat Chloe. Her feet were firmly planted on the floor, shoulder width apart, her head comfortably pressed between the thick cushions while an arm was dangled over the back of the couch. She was still in a deep sleep. Looking back down at Victoria, she didn't appear to be close to waking up.

 _Are here. In Victoria's house. Victoria knows about my power. Great. That's. Just. Great._

Victoria was dressed in some fancy night attire, which surprises me because usually, Victoria likes to sleep nude.

 _Soooo. We've obviously spent the night but why am I in Victoria's bed with... well, Victoria? Is this some kind of prank? I mean, Chloe is_ _ **right**_ _there. After what went down last night, I'm shocked Chloe's okay with this._

Instead of trying to dissect the endless possibilities, I relaxed, somehow relieved to be snuggled by Victoria. There's quite a lot I'd like to ask Victoria but right now, Victoria was holding me. The questions could wait, the pain of betrayal, could go crawl under a rock and just stay there. I may have passed out but I had to of made peace with Victoria before I did. Otherwise, I'm convinced I'd be sleeping next to Chloe on the couch. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled softly and a unexpected wave of warmth surged up and down through my body, smashing out the nausea. Grateful for the distraction in my stomach, I closed my eyes and gently eased back down on the bed. Instantly, Victoria pulled me closer and every time she breathed in, her warm puffs of air tickled my skin, creating goosebumps on occasion. At one point, there was a murmur and sigh. I watched her through my half closed eyes, thinking she might be waking up but she remained asleep. I really wanted to turn over, tap Victoria on the cheek until she opened her eyes and say something typical. Like, "Good morning Victoria. Thanks for letting me and Chloe crash here but could you please explain to me what the hell just happened? Oh and why my pants are off?"

Surely we didn't have... uhh... did we? I wasn't _that_ drunk and neither was Victoria. My eyes fluttered shut at the horrid thought of losing my chastity to Victoria Chase. No, no. We didn't. Not with Chloe in here. She'd die. I'd die then Rachel would die and the curse that is out to kill us all would do a double take, because let's be honest here. I doubt the curse would even see something like that coming and even if it did, I don't think it would win me and Rachel browine points. I got nothing against people who wanna hook up and do those things at a party but I didn't come to Victoria's party to do that. Not with her, not with anyone. Suddenly, out of no where, my stomach churned and I knew now what was coming so I needed to free myself from Victoria'a iron grip and _fast_. I didn't want to get sick on her or make a mess on her bed. Not after she was so kind enough to let me sleep here.

"Victoria!"

I whispered anxiously, wrapping my hands around her arm and trying my best to drag it down and away from my waist so I could get up.

"Victoria I need to get up. I'm think I'm going to throw up."

Okay, that time I seriously almost hurled, but thankfully, I was able to untangle myself from her grasp, crawl around her and make my way to the bathroom before I got sick. Things went from mildly uncomfortable to a full-scale red alert within seconds. I barely reached the toilet bowl before I hit my knees and shoved my face inside of it. This was going to hurt but you know what's sad? I had such a good time yesterday night, I'd do it again, even if the end result would be waking up and being sick like a dog.


	2. Episode 2: Not So Sure (Chloe Price)

I jerked awake and snapped my head up hearing retrenching sounds coming from the bathroom. One glance at Victoria's bed and seeing the empty space beside of her, I knew what had become of my little otter.

"Max!"

I cried, bolting to my feet and into the bathroom. Stepping through the doorway, I poked my head in and and found Max on her knees in front of the commode. Aww, the poor thing was leaning over the toilet, puking up what appeared to be clear fluid. Rather that than the food I saw her noshing on. Which also told me, her body wasn't rejecting the delights of the previous night, but probably having a bad reaction to the alcohol. Where it was Max's first trial run I'm not surprised that she's sick. I got in behind her and held her hair with one hand while wrapping my other arm around her waist, hoping by holding her it would provide some comforts of sorts.

"There, there. It's okay Max. Just let it get outta your system and you'll be all better. I promise."

I know Max heard me but she was far too busy hurling her guts up to do much of anything else. This process continued for a few minutes, with Max vomiting on and off. I didn't want to let go of her hair but I figured, rubbing Max's back might help her relax and show her that I cared. _How_ Victoria wasn't hearing this and slept through the entire thing both disturbed and impressed me. Then again, Victoria seems like the heavy sleeper type so someone throwing up softly in a bathroom, probably wouldn't do justice.

"You okay?"

I asked when she finally finished and I was sure she wasn't going to randomly jerk in my arms and go back into the toilet bowl. Nodding weakly, Max carefully leaned against me and mumbled,

"Chloe, would you mind getting me a glass of water?"

I sighed, relieved that it was over and she was starting to feel better.

"Of course. Here, let's get you to the couch first 'kay?"

Nodding again, Max slowly rose up with me. With my arm still around her waist, I threw her other arm over the back of my neck and gently walked her over to the couch. Victoria remained asleep, even after I left the room and came back up stairs with the glass of water. Dana and some of the other girls were _still_ up, cleaning and putting the house back in order and here it was pushing 9:00 AM. I don't know exactly what time Max and I went to bed, but it was well before dawn. If Max winds up going back to sleep here in a few, I might just go down there and help them out. Not because I want to do Victoria a favor per-say, but because Dana and Brooke were pretty chill with me and served me nice drinks at the party. It's the least I could do, being a stay behind guest and all.

"Here Max."

I spoke softly, out of respect to those who were upstairs in bed and to the one left of us in her own bed. That and I didn't want to anyone to really hear what it was we could say to each other in general.

"Thanks partner."

Max took the glass and slowly sipped at it and I sat down beside her, keeping her company. When she finished, I took the empty glass from her and set it on the floor by my feet.

"Hey Chloe?"

"Hmm?"

I hummed, looking over at her.

"Thank you and… I'm sorry for not hearing you out before. That "stuff" you wanted to talk to me and Rachel about... it was Victoria and everything you guys were fighting over last night, wasn't it?"

I nodded stiffly.

"Yeah... when I realized you were really starting to dig her and the party, I thought if I went ahead you in secret, I could spare you _and_ Rachel from this crap but all I did was make things worse for you. I dunno what Rachel's gonna do when she finds out about it. I doubt she'll take it as well as you did... if anyone should be apologizing, it should be me."

I scooted closer to Max, wrapped my arms around her and rested my chin comfortably on the top of her head. We took a deep breath and let it go at the same time, strangely comforted by the noises we made.

"I should of listened to you regardless. Next time, if there ever _is_ a next time, I will stop and listen for sure. But what are we going to do about this? She knows more than Warren does Chloe. I trust Warren but Victoria? I don't know if I can do that. If we as a trio, should do that. You realize this means she's going to have to be included in our ring now, right?"

I lifted my head just slightly and glanced down at her as she looked up at me, instantly lost in the depths of those tired, yet ever so loving eyes of hers.

"Yeah I do. And no, I don't like the idea of letting Victoria in on our private lives revolving around your and Rachel's super powers. But you know Max, _you're_ the one who said if you were to get back stabbed by the very ones you let get close to you, you'd deal with it and bounce back because you're made of-"

"Rubber and not glass."

She finished, offering me a lazy grin in response.

"You're right. I _did_ say that, didn't I?"

She drawled out, leaning forward and squinting her eyes.

"You _are_ going to help me explain this to Rachel when we get home, right?"

I nodded and casually increased my hold around her.

"I'm not that heartless. Rachel's the alpha in this group and if anyone's going to have the ultimate say so about Victoria, it's gonna be her. But you also seem to have Rachel wrapped around your finger."

Max arched an eyebrow, parting her mouth slightly in offense.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means hippie..."

I trailed off and leaned in, pecking her lovingly on the forehead.

"That you, being you, could sway Rachel in either direction. If you really wanted to put Victoria in a bad light, Rachel would back you up without hesitation. But if you also wanted to defend Victoria and ask Rachel to give her a chance, Rachel would give into your request all too easy. You know it, I know it, _she_ knows it. So in nutshell, Victoria's fate kinda depends on you Max."

Max mulled this over, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Hmm. I guess you have a point there."

She finally admitted, settling her head back down on my chest.

"I just feel so _useless_ right now."

Max shrugged, looking very disappointing with herself.

"You're not useless to me... or to Rachel. Now, let's not worry about this right now, 'kay? You just woke up to an unpleasant experience. I think you should try to get some more sleep before attempting to remedy the situation."

I hesitated, stifled a yawn and continued.

"You're a very important part of my life Max. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Really?"

Nodding, I started to run my hands up and down her back.

"Really."

Came the firm reply.

"Good to know."

Max sighed.

"Because you and Rachel mean more to me than anything else in the world and the thought of losing either of you again scares me to death. More than you realize."

Max said that all in one breath, almost like she had rehearsed it several thousand times. Hmm... maybe she had. You know, given with all the realities she's been a part of.

"Chloe?"

Max reached up, laid her hand on my arm and pressed on before she could think about stopping.

"Did you know last night was the first night I didn't have a nightmare or experience an anxiety attack? I slept so good, yet last night was probably the worst night for me emotionally. Walking in on you and Victoria and hearing the last bit of a conversation that should of kept me up all night but it didn't seem to bother me."

Seriously? Well that's different. Frowning, I battled with several conflicting emotions. The unexpected warmth from Max's confession, anger at myself for provoking Victoria and getting her all riled up, regret for partly causing Max such grief last night... meh, the list is endless.

"I'm sorry, Max."

I huffed, annoyed at myself.

"You shouldn't of had to experienced any of that. But I'm glad you slept great and didn't have any setbacks."

Max sighed.

"I'm not."

Came the surprising answer. Confused, I stopped rubbing her back and she bowed her head, hiding her face from me.

"I'd rather loose sleep, get sick from those attacks, see horrible visions in the comfort of my own home and have the balance I've been working so hard to keep, than gain everything I desire through pain, deception and knowledge that cuts me to the core of my heart."

Absently, her thumb rubbed against the small fine hairs on my arm.

"It's like... a twisted sense of humor that I'm expected to laugh along with but I refuse do that."

Max's eyes flickered over to meet mine.

"I don't like this Chloe but I want Victoria to tell me her side of things and I need you and Rachel to let me handle that in private with her first before anyone jumps to conclusions, okay?"

Ahh, this pained me but in order to keep Max happy, in order to keep the peace, I nodded and told her that I would try to do everything in my power to stay calm and let her do what she needed to do with Victoria.

"All right Max. I'll do it and I'll give Rachel a heads up but you probably should try to get some rest before we head out. Rachel, I'm sure, is just fine, safely tucked away on the couch or in her bedroom with her aunt watching over her. So don't worry about that, I can see it building in your eyes. We have enough to focus on so don't kill it by adding more things to the plate that doesn't need to be there right now."

I mumbled as I ruffled Max's mussed hair and received an amused, tired grin as a response.

"Okay."

She re-took her position on my chest and let her eyes drift shut. It wasn't ten seconds into it and I felt her shudder in my arms.

"You cold?"

I asked, gazing steadily at the bed where Victoria was resting peacefully, already having it in mind to snatch one of the blankets and wrap us up in it.

"No."

Max remarked quietly at last, after too long of a pause for my liking.

"I-I'm fine."

Moving my eyes off Victoria's bed, I glanced up at the spiral coated ceiling, smiled, then shook my head, knowing better. Dropping my chin, I leaned close to Max's ear so I could deliberately brush my lips against it.

"You're lying."

I whispered, trying to keep a chuckle from coating my voice.

"Yeah."

Max sheepishly admitted.

"But I"m way too tired to get up and get a blanket off the bed. I'll survive."

She yawned and curled up into a tighter ball against me.

"I may have time power but I sadly don't seem to have some sort of mystical internal heat source."

I flexed my arms around Max's shoulders and pulled her closer in a fairly impressive display of strength, given the circumstances.

"Then, I'll keep you warm with my body heat."

"Mmm."

Max mumbled, relaxing into sleep at last.

"Hey Chloe?"

Max muttered several minutes later, her voice exceedingly drowsy and misplaced, almost too soft to understand.

"Hmm?"

"If letting Victoria in means I might loose control of something important somewhere, so be it... I realize it's a high risk and all, but..."

She laughed softly at herself and buried her face that much deeper into my neck.

"I'm not so sure that I care anymore. Whatever happens we'll face, like Rachel's told me many times before, together."

Closing my eyes, I cracked a half smile.

"Yeah."

I whispered, squeezing her gently.

"We'll face it..."

My eyes opened a little and rested right on Victoria's backside.

"Together."

I was originally going to rock Max to sleep and go help clean up downstairs but how could I leave her now, with her so close, comfortable and relaxed? That and she defiantly needed some emotional support. I have to admit, I was a little curious to see how Victoria was going to smooth talk her way out of this one. If she failed to provide Max a legit reason for her deception, then I and Rachel will have no problem going to prison. I say that jokingly but a part of me is quite serious and shamefully, wants Victoria to screw up so I can have a reason to jump her.


	3. Episode 3: Alpha Queen (Rachel Amber)

When I told Chloe and Max to go have a good time, I didn't think it would last until the next day. Aunt Clare had to go make up her shift, so she left around 7:00 AM, both of us thinking my roommates would be home in a few hours.

Wrong!

They were not here and neither had yet to answer their phones, or text messages. I didn't go over the top about trying to get in contact with them because I wasn't terribly worried where they were both grown and could take care of themselves. I did try calling and texting every few hours or so just to make sure they were okay or to find out when they might be coming home, but when all I got was silence... panic started to override my senses. Where they still at Victoria's house, partying it up or had something else happened? And if so, was it good or bad?

"This is ridiculous. They're fine."

I mumbled to myself, grabbing the edges of my blanket and pulling it over my head, only to thrust it back in exasperation as more doubt kept into my already stressed out mind.

 _What if they're_ _ **not** __fine? What if Victoria did something to them?_

I know this was childish of me, but I couldn't help but think Victoria was keeping them at her house against their will. The more I entertained this thought, the more I felt my anger rise and highlight the fever tint in my cheeks.

"That's it... I'm going over there. I may not have a ride over there."

I sat up in my bed and raised the hand that contained my power and let it hover in front of my sleepy, slanted eyes.

"But who needs a vehicle when I can use this?"

Flexing my fingers, I made a tight fist.

"I told Max I wouldn't use this unless it was an emergency."

I glanced at the digital clock on my end table, noting the time. It was almost 3:30 PM and they had yet to call me or text me back and let me know what was up.

"Hmm, I think this counts as an emergency. I know where the wench lives. I got a visual in my mind."

Closing my eyes, I began to focus and see if I still had the power that Max and I had wondered, was only a temporary thing in Arcadia Bay or if it was permanent. When I felt the familiar chills spread through my body and the invisible rush of cold air blast against my body, I knew, without shadow of a doubt... my time power...

Still worked.

* * *

When I opened my eyes and saw the front door to Victoria's home, I had more than enough proof for myself, I just needed to take a moment and let my brain catch up.

 _Whoa._

I glanced down at myself, impressed to see the outfit I changed into prior to getting here. I didn't really think I could still do it but there I was, hair still slightly damp from a shower and in a fresh pair of clothes. Prior to visualizing coming to Victoria's house, I _did_ happen to think at last second to tidy myself up and boom, wouldn't you know it I pulled a fast one on myself without even realizing it.

 _Oookay. That happened. I kinda forgot what it was like to just zip through a planned out routine and then be somewhere at the same time. But man did that upset my stomach._

Normally, I don't get queasy after using my fast forward power. It's just where I'm sick with this flu virus and taking medicine I think, that jarred me a little. Taking a deep breath, I walked up the cobblestone pathway and stepped up onto the porch. As much as my poor body was begging me to go back to bed, I ignored its call and braced myself for the unexpected. Lifting my fist I knocked rather loudly on the door, _demanding_ for someone to open it and give me an explanation. Five pounds into it, the lock clicked and the door opened wide, revealing three confused faces on the other side.

Kate Marsh, Dana Ward and Brooke Scott.

The three of them stood there, gawking at me as if I was the the cops or something. For the moment, I remained put with one hand on my waist and just stared back at them but with so much more strife through my narrowed eyes.

"R-Rachel?"

Kate finally squeaked, responding to the authority I carried.

"What are you doing here? Max told us you were home really sick with the flu?"

I nodded curtly at Kate's statement and just like that, before she or the other two could comment, I walked right into them and used my shoulders to _force_ them to step apart so I could enter. I glanced around, scaling the area for Max and Chloe. Not seeing them, I ventured further into the house, not caring if every girl in this place had a issue with me or told me stop walking around. Screw them, screw this place! My roommates were missing and I knew they were still here somewhere because our car was parked outside on the front lawn.

"Uhh, Rachel?"

Dana carefully called over to me and already, my irritation with these girls was escalating. Growling under my breath, I halted abruptly in my tracks, turned sharply on my heel and almost caused her to crash into me. She stopped pursuing me, as did Kate and Brooke. Oh. Fancy that, Victoria's minions were her own personal watch dogs eh? Tch. Figures.

"What do you guys want?! Can't you see that I'm busy?!"

I snapped, making sure to add some extra edge in my voice with every intention to intimidate them. Alarmed at my sudden rise of aggression, they each took a large step back and put some distance between us.

"Whatever you gotta say to me, make it quick. I'm not exactly in the greatest mood right now..."

Dana, Kate and Brooke exchanged nervous glances using their eyes.

"We can tell. If looks could kill, we'd all be dead right now."

Brooke murmured, giving Dana another cautious signal of desperation. Seeing it, Dana turned her head and addressed Brooke softly and kindly dismissed her and Kate, saying that she would handle things. Brooke nodded her thanks and quickly made herself scarce. Kate however, remained standing beside Dana.

"Kate really. I got this."

Kate shook her head, refusing to leave the area.

"I want to see what the fuss is about."

Kate explained, folding her arms stubbornly over her chest.

"Because quite frankly, if it's about Max and Chloe-"

That caught my ear. No longer interested in waiting to see what Dana was going to say, I turned my fiery eyes onto Kate.

"Do you know where I can find them? Because that's why I'm here."

I took a step forward and slightly leaned in but they pointedly backed up and kept their distance. Hmm, smart choice on their part.

"And I'm not leaving this house until they're back in my custody. Period. So can you tell me where they're at or things... might get ugly. I'd _hate_ to have the law get called on me because I'll be denied what I want and no ladies, that is not a threat or a exaggeration. I'm _dead_ serious. I will rip this place apart if I don't get Max and Chloe in the next ten seconds or am told where they are."

They hesitated and looked at each other, unsure if they should be worried or just brush what I just said off and not worry about it. To prove to them that I wasn't playing around, I pushed the cuff of my checked t-shirt up, exposing my watch to them. Cocking my head to the side, I started to count down, starting at one and gradually made my way up.

"One. Two. Three..."

Pausing deliberately, I went over to a ivory pillar that had a priceless marble vase sitting on it. When I was standing directly in front of the it, I made sure to establish eye contact as I ever so casually _slapped_ the thing off its pedestal and let it crash to pieces on the floor. Eyes widening in shock, Dana and Kate's mouth dropped open and together, they pointed at the broken marble vase, stuttering and fighting to find the right words to express how they were feeling but I just kept going, taking advantage of their distress.

"Six. Seven. Eight-"

Still counting, I paddled over to the wall on the opposite side of the staircase and took hold of a framed oil painting with both hands. When it was secure in my grip, I _thrust_ it down and stomped it once, making sure to slide the heel of my shoe all over the image, which of course, ruined it.

"They're upstairs in Victoria's room! Last room on the left!"

They exclaimed, their expressions distributed and quite petrified. Curling my lips up in satisfaction, I started for the staircase and let them stand there in awe at what I had done. I don't care if they thought it odd or wind up hating me for it. I was tired, sick and in a bad mood. Sure I could of handled that better but deep down inside, I didn't want to. I straight up wanted these people to tremble before my anger and might. I really meant what I said so it's good thing Dana and Kate were wise and told not only what I wanted to hear but pointed me in the right direction.

* * *

The right thing to do, would be to knock and let Victoria, Chloe or Max answer the door and greet me. But that seems futile since I've been doing everything backwards today, so shrugging my shoulders, I took the risk, opened the door and waltzed right in. What I found, did _not_ sit well with me. First thing I noticed, was the door to Victoria's bathroom. It was closed but I heard someone vomiting on the other side of it. Chloe just so happened to be getting ready to go into the bathroom but stopped, hearing me come in and slam the door behind me. Victoria was standing off to the side, opposite of Chloe and looked really worried until she too, heard my grand entrance and suddenly found herself gawking at me along with Chloe. They looked... scared. Why? Why would they share identical faces? It's almost as if they were kids, caught red handed getting cooking out of the the cookie jar.

 _Wait a minute..._

Blinking rapidly, I slowly realized what might be happening here and before Chloe _or_ Victoria could react to my presence, I stormed over to the door, somewhat roughly shoved Chloe out of my way and went into the bathroom. Sure enough, there was Max, fully dressed, on her knees, gripping the sides of the toilet bowl as if her life depended on it. Her head was hovering over it, her face was ashed over with pain and the groans that fell from her mouth were so pitiful, I almost forgot about being pissed and went over to her but as I started to, she lurched forward and started to retrench all over again. You know... this graphic scene of Max puking her guts up, could easily of been avoided if the company she was keeping, kept a close eye on her and made sure to stop her from drinking too much. That clearly didn't happen. Not that I expected that from the Blackwell students. Chloe? Yes, maybe a little parental vision but evidently, she failed along with Blackwell.

" _Ohh no!_ "

I hissed through clenched teeth, whirling around and going back into Victoria's bedroom.

"Which one of you is to blame for this?!"

I didn't intend to raise my voice, but that's exactly what happened. I'm pretty sure the other girls on this floor heard me but if they did, they were wise and stayed in their rooms. Chloe and Victoria flinched and shared a surprisingly, neutral look of compassion for each other. I guess at the end of the day, not even someone like Victoria wanted to face my wrath. Chloe was a given but this was different. Usually Victoria sticks her guns up right back at me but currently, she was cowering before me along with Chloe.

"We're nicely both at fault. Victoria and I that is. It's a long, complicated story that has an even more complicated reason."

Chloe muttered after a long moment of hesitation.

"Hmph."

I snorted in disgust.

"I guess that explains Victoria's black eye. Okay then. Why didn't you return my calls or answer my text messages? Max I am dismissing because she's hungover and probably, if I can have a educated guess, has been running back and forth this whole time so, I can understand why she didn't reply. What about you Chloe?"

Chloe rubbed the back of neck and nervously glanced around, averting her eyes from mine on purpose.

"This isn't going to make you happy but... when Max wasn't looking, I swiped her phone and kept it for safe keeping."

She paused.

"Among... other reasons, that I'll have to explain to you in private _later_. Anyway. Moving along. Ss the party went on, the phones died."

"Why didn't you _charge them?_ Or better yet, use someone else's phone?"

I snarled, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Uhh..."

Wincing deeply, Chloe lifted finger and poked at the air a few times.

"About that. We forgot to bring our chargers and Max got tipsy really quick, really fast and I'm not exactly in with the girls here. So um, yeah, our bad on that one."

Opening my mouth, I got ready to rip her a new one but Chloe quickly raised her hands in self-defense and frantically shook them, stopping me from going on.

"Like I said, we'll discuss all of this later when we get home, okay?"

Chloe took this time to look between me and Victoria. Already, I didn't like where our little pep talk would be going but for the moment, I nodded just enough to let her know that I heard her. Done investigating Chloe, I turned my fiery eyes on Victoria, expecting her to provide a legit excuse to pacify me.

"And you?"

I asked, keeping my eyebrow cocked while crossing my arms defensively. To their favor, my voice was much softer now but kept its overall hardness and authority. Pressing her lips tightly together, Victoria bowed her head and took a minute to think about what she wanted to say to me. By the time she raised her head and opened her mouth to speak, we heard Max meekly call our names, one by one. Victoria immediately shut her mouth and promptly peered past me and into the bathroom. Chloe did too. I reacted before they did by actually _going_ inside of the bathroom to answer Max. After a brief moment of hesitation, both Chloe and Victoria came in after me. However, neither went out of their way to touch Max. They let me do it and stood by, watching the two of us in silence.

"Max?"

I whispered, setting my anger aside so I could mother her properly. Here I was, still sick myself but I can't help it. When Max is down, I instantly want to do everything in my power to help her get better... to help her smile... cheesy as that sounds.

"Max are you all right?"

Max was still on her knees near the toilet bowl, breathing weakly.

"I-I'll be okay. I was hungry and thought maybe if I ate something I might feel better. It didn't go over well. I can explain why we've been here for so long... just give me a minute to catch my breath and I'll tell you. I just-"

Now standing beside her, I gracefully knelt down and carefully put my arms around her shuddering frame.

"Max, never mind that."

I interrupted, leaning in to give her doting kisses on her forehead, eyes, nose and cheeks. I'm not really one to display my affection for Max where others can see me but I technically told her I'd work on that. Plus, she was so helpless, the lioness in me just wanted to pick her up and carry off somewhere place so she could rest.

"Let's get you home and settled first. After you've recovered from your hang over we'll all talk and compare notes, okay? Just the three of us."

Max's sleepy eyes avoided mine. She coyly peered past my shoulder and Max shared a strange look with Chloe, who passed it onto Victoria, then the three of them, hesitantly rested their troubled gazes back onto me, at the same time. Okay, that's not creepy at all. Now I'm convinced something about this whole situation is off somewhere, somehow. They were hiding something, that much I was putting together but I had no idea what that could possibly and to be honest, I didn't care. I just wanted my roommates back home, safe and sound and _out_ of Victoria's house.

"Sure thing."

Max whispered, lazily throwing her arms around my neck and trying her best to pull me closer. Taking pity on her, I eased forward to make it easier for her. When I was close enough, she pecked me on the cheek then buried her face as much as she could into my neck, almost as if she was trying to hide herself from us.

"I know as a rule you don't like this kind of thing."

Max tipped her head back and glanced up at me and all at once, I saw the strain and exhaustion spread across her face.

"But I don't feel good and I'm really clingy right now so excuse my pathetic behavior."

I gazed down at her with an uncomfortable expression.

"As a rule no. But I promised to work on that remember?"

I answered coolly, then quickly added,

"But you're an exception to the rule Max. Now, let's go home. I spent a lot of energy coming out here to get you guys."

Of course I wasn't going to come out and say I used my time power. I think I'll hold off and wait to catch Max in a good mood one day and confess those secrets another time. After Chloe helped Max clean up, the three of us departed started for the staircase. Chloe who normally has a million things to talk about, was eerily quiet and Max... poor Max had fallen asleep before we left Victoria's room so I agreed to piggy back her to the car. Although she wasn't obligated to do this, Victoria escorted us down the stairs and to the front door, but she, someone who is also prone to striking up conversation, didn't say one word to me _or_ Chloe. I was _sure_ she was going to freak when she saw the missing marble vase and the destroyed piece of artwork I'm sure someone has cleaned up by now but to my further amazement, Victoria looked in those general directions but didn't seem to _notice_ that the items were missing. Dude, what is up with them today? It was was almost like Victoria and Chloe were in another zone, completely oblivious to everything and everyone around them.

"Have a safe trip home. Thanks for coming to the party. I enjoyed having you."

Wow, that sounded totally fake. Chloe didn't respond to her farewell. She did however, nod her head in acknowledgement. With Chloe getting the car started and heated up, I continued to walk down the cobblestone pathway, adjusting Max a bit so I didn't drop her.

 _What did this girl eat? I swear she's gained at least five pounds since I last saw her. Either that or maybe I'm just out of shape myself?_

When we neared the car, Chloe came over and opened rear passenger door, knowing I wanted to ride with Max from the start.

"Here you go."

She politely gestured for me go ahead while she re-took her position up front. Taking a breath, I turned around and very carefully, let Max fall backwards down onto the seat. With my shoulders free, I turned around and leaned over her, who was—much to my amusement still fast asleep. Chloe watched in the rear view mirror as I pushed Max further up on the seat and I moved her limbs around until I had her in the potion I wanted. Now with me safely inside the car, I shut the door, got situated and buckled myself before using my hands to lovingly guide Max's head down onto my lap. Max shifted slightly and bloodshot, bleary eyes cracked open. Frowning at nothing, she huffed, grumbled and pouted, marking her discomfort from being moved from Victoria's room to the car I suppose. Heh, who would have guessed that lower lip, pushing out just enough to make such a face would make my heart thud against my chest and make me blush like this?

"You _so_ love her."

Chloe muttered, chuckling when I snapped my head up and shot her a dirty look.

"And who are you to talk? You loved her first."

Chloe looked back into the rear view mirror and flushed from embarrassment.

"Well yeah. What's not to love? But I love you too, so it evens out. We're soulmates like that, remember?"

"Shut up and get us off this lot before I wreck more of Victoria's property and wind up paying for it later."

Chloe was already in the process of backing the car up when she did a double take.

"Wait, what?"

Rolling my eyes, I just instructed her to keep going. Speaking of Victoria, she watched us leave. Did that bother me? No, under normal circumstances it would not but since the three of them were acting weird, I did find it tad bit nerve wrecking.

* * *

When we finally arrived at the studio, Max was so far gone it was almost criminal but at least her tummy stopped gurgling and her features lighted up.

"All right Mad Max. Wake up. We're home."

Chloe cheerfully announced as I lifted her head up from lap momentarily so I could unbuckle myself.

"Max?"

Chloe said again, peering around the head of her seat to look at her. Together, we both glanced down at Max, who's soft snoring filled the silent car.

"Let me try Chloe."

Dipping my head a little bit, I and snapped my fingers a few times by her ear that had the blue jay earring.

"Max!"

I forcefully stated her name, waving my hand up and down over her face, but got nothing.

"Okay. My turn round two."

Chloe mumbled, shutting off the car. I lifted my eyes and watched her get out and come over to my side. She opened the door and leaned in, putting us at rather close intervals.

"Sorry about this Rachel."

"It's fine."

Nodding, Chloe gently shook Max's shoulder.

"Max, we've gotta get you inside and out of those clothes."

We waited for Max to respond to us. All we got, was more snoring and some mumbling here and there. Rolling her eyes, Chloe tried again.

"Max!"

She shook her a bit harder and Max's head rolled to the other side, not even phased.

"Wake up!"

We happened to say at the same time and just so happened to magnify the volume. It must of worked because Max's eyebrows knitted together, creating an irritated crease in her forehead and she, on whim, lazily swatted Chloe's hand off her shoulder.

"She's doing this on purpose. I swear she is."

I arched an eyebrow, not so sure if I could second Chloe's assumption. I don't think Max was being difficult on purpose. That's my job. No, no. If anything, I think she's just really hung over... and where this is her first time being hung over, she could very well just be having a hard time cooping with it.

" 'Alright. Time for Plan B."

I watched as she eased further into the car, with her arm resting on the hood and bent down to study Max's sleeping face. If it weren't for Max being hung over and the dark rings under her eyes, she would have been worried. I know her all too well and when it comes to our well being, Chloe is very sensitive about stuff like that and has good reason to be.

"Looks like I get to carry you hippie. If you hit me or throw up on me, I'm giving you to Rachel and she can deal with your sorry self."

I sat there with Max's head still resting comfortably on my lap and observed with great interest as Chloe prepared to transport Max from the car and into the house. First, she went over to the other side, casually opened the door and tucked her arm under Max's knees and wrapped one of her arms around her shoulders. Then, Chloe skillfully lifted her out of the back seat, taking extra care not to smack Max's head on the roof of the car. Officially free of Max, I slid out of the car myself, rather impressed that Chloe was able to get Max out of the car _without_ waking her up. Catching up to them, I loved how Chloe and I stopped walking and bowed our heads at the same time and unmistakably stared at the unguarded expression on Max's face, just in awe at her.

"Even knocked out cold she affects us."

Chloe pointed out, glancing over to look at me with a knowing smirk. Chuckling softly, I reached down with my hand and caressed her cheek gently.

"Yeah... that's just sad on our part."

We started to walk again.

"Maybe but you're not too upset by it are you?"

Reaching in my leather coat's pocket, I took out the house key and got ready to unlock the front door.

"No."

I answered softly.

"I'm not."

I let Chloe in first so she could get Max to her bed before coming in after her. Glad to finally be home, I shut the door using my hip and looked over at Chloe carrying Max off down the hallway.

"You want help bathing her?"

"Nah, I got it. Thanks for the offer though. Why not get comfy? You're still sick yourself, right? Just relax. I got this."

Convinced she would be fine without my assistance, I went to the kitchen to take my medicine. I of course, started a coughing frenzy as I filled the small plastic cup up to the 2 millimeter line. How did I manage to go all the way to Victoria's house and _not_ cough once but the second I come home, loose it and almost start crying from the intensity from each cough? Hating how my illness was starting to affect me like that, I quickly took my medicine, maxed at how fast the cough syrup silenced my coughing. After this, I decided to go see how Chloe was fairing with bathing Max and it's a good thing that I did because Chloe did wind up needing some help bathing Max when she realized just how tired she really was. Upon entering the bathroom, I grabbed a washcloth and I took to scrubbing Max's body down while Chloe shampooed and conditioned her hair.

"Heh... this reminds me of the time in the alternate reality when Max first contracted the curse and formed that horrible fever and we had to bathe her in your house to break it? Do you remember? Your mom got called from Blackwell and then-"

"She called me and told me to come get Max."

Chloe cut me off, shooting me a weary smile.

"And I went straight to you because I didn't know what to do. I was such a nervous wreck. I'm glad one of us knew their stuff. Man, those were scary times."

I nodded gently in agreement.

"Yeah. I don't want that to happen to her again. Ever."

A comfortable silence settled between us as we pondered on previous events and continued to bathe. A good ten minutes later, we hoisted her out of the tub, wrapped her up in two towels and since Chloe was tired, I offered to carry Max to her room. Chloe went ahead of me to find some of her more comfortable nightwear. Nearing her bedroom my knees almost caved in feeling Max's cheek and nose nuzzle into my chest. I caught my breath, totally not expecting it.

"Stop that."

I muttered, finding the action cute but at the same time very distracting. She quit but I doubt it's because she heard me.

"Man, Max sleeps like the dead."

I looked up, spotting Chloe at the end of the bed with the clothes in one hand and bottle of lotion in another.

"Yeah. I know. But considering what hell she's been through since this all time stuff started, I can kinda see why."

I replied over my shoulder, then looked back over so I could focus on lowering Max's body on the mattress and make sure her head rested comfortably on the pillow. It didn't take Chloe long to lotion her. With me there, dressing her was a piece a cake. All that remained was shutting the lights off and letting her rest. Content with her work, Chloe raised her arms high over head and yawned.

"Okay, I'm bouncing to my room, taking a quick shower and going to bed. I've been stuck in this tux for two days now. I need some serious me time. Goodnight Rachel."

My eyes fluttered shut feeling her kiss into my neck. With Chloe's hands on my waist, I turned around and put my hands on her sides as well. After a brief moment of indecision and gazing into each others eyes, we leaned in and I pecked her on the forehead before Chloe released me and took my right hand custody and kissed the back of it. Chuckling softly, I ruffled Chloe's hair with my other hand.

"Goodnight Chloe. Rest well."

She offered me a lazy grin in response before backing away and heading off to her own room down the hall. I stood there for a long time, debating on weather or not to do the same. All it took to get me to stay was hearing Max whimper in her sleep and I was sold.

 _Tsk._ _I'm_ _such a s_ _tickler for this girl_ _._ _Why? Why does she do this to me? Why do I_ _ **let** __her to do this to me?_

I crawled onto Max's bed and nestled down beside her. Content with things, I reached over and traced my thumb along Max's cheek over and over. This was a simple gesture that many people take for granted all the time and yet I've never grown weary doing it for Max.

"It's always going to be like this between us Max, isn't? This drive to protect you, this urge to love you and cherish you like no other."

I said to myself, my voice only loud enough for my own ears so I didn't want to wake her.

"How is this fair? I never gave you permission to move into my life or the deepest depths of my heart. But then again you never did ask did you? You just did it without realizing it..."

Using the hand that was grazing her cheek, I brushed a few strands of hair away and let my fingers linger against the warm skin of her cheek. Feeling me, Max moaned softly, then hazy, blue eyes slowly blinked opened. Max's drowsy expression blurred in and out of focus and she visibly struggled to stay awake.

"Are you feeling better?"

Max didn't respond. She just continued to look at me with those sleepy eyes.

"Ohh, you must really be out of it."

I inched closer and placed a tender kiss on her cheek.

"Well, if I get to feeling better myself I'll come check on you, okay?"

Max blinked slowly and grabbed my wrist with surprising strength.

"Stay."

I held my breath at the simple request, staring hard at the hand on my wrist.

"Stay?"

I hesitated, unsure if I should or not.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Please stay with me. I don't... want to be alone."

The hushed words groggily fell from Max's mouth, sleepily and barely noticeable. Well, if that's what she wanted who was I to deny her? Very quickly I kicked off my shoes and got under the covers next to Max. Snuggling up to her, I laid on my back, one arm behind my head, staring up at the ceiling. Max drifted back to sleep after some time had passed and rolled away in her sleep. She stayed like that for a good hour or so before I heard the mattress groan under pressure. Blinking my eyes open I glanced at Max, calmly watching her turn over and face me. She was still fast asleep and didn't look like she would be waking up anytime soon. Just when I was about to go back to asleep, she draped her arm over my waist and lifted her head so that it rested on my shoulder. I took note of the intimate position, forcing the arm from under my head to shift around and hold Max even closer. I was pretty tired myself, no thanks to my medicine but I forced myself to stay awake so I could listen and observe her a little bit more. Our combined breathing, the warmth of our bodies pressed together, the way Max nuzzled into my chest... it just felt so nice. She was so simple, cute and innocent about _all_ these things and it drove me absolutely wild-but in a good way.

For example, her arm just being around my waist, holding me, locking me in place, soothed me and made me become of aware of this one fact. I really, truly, cared about Max and I can honestly say I loved her as my friend. The love I carried for Max was a different love that defeated any other form of sexual love I had seen so far. Which that in itself is amazing because I just so happened to notice this interesting detail about the curse. The curse took our realities and the experiences we all shared in those realities. The curse even succeed in killing me and Max and ripping Chloe away from using that one moment of certain death and defeat. But the one thing it had _not_ done, was destroy the love we have for each other.

 _I said I would protect her in that alternate reality in the dorm and I meant every word of it._

Pulling Max impossibly closer, I kissed her on the forehead then brushed my lips over the area. Her sleepy eyes peeked open, but only to just about where you could see them. She smiled at me and I froze, thinking I had woken her up.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I'll just go and let you rest, okay? I-"

Whatever I was going to say, whatever I _thought_ I was going to do, was dismissed by her pulling me closer and choosing that moment to silence me with another kiss. My eyebrows shot straight up and she gave me a sleepy, desperate look.

"Or you can stay, like I asked. Please Rachel? I really don't want to be alone."

She mumbled, tightening her arm around my waist, then let it relax as she slipped back into a deeper sleep with a contented sigh. Since Max was making it pretty hard for me escape I lowered my head back down onto the pillows, resettled my arm around her and drifted back to sleep along with her.


	4. Episode 4: Caught (Victoria Chase)

Two weeks have past since the party and I had yet to address Rachel for what she had done in the hallway. Hmph. Why should I? I have more pressing concerns on my mind then freaking out over destroyed property. I suppose the girls seeing me not having something to say about it was a little disturbing for them and I can't say I blame them. That and since it was Rachel Amber who caused such a rucks the girls were expecting me to be predictable, overreact and declare war with her or... something along those lines but I couldn't find it in me to care. I didn't have the energy and I didn't have the motivation to storm over to her house and return the favor. Given with what was said between me, Chloe and Max the following day after the party, I watched them drive off, understanding that the knowledge I carry was not to be shared without any outside of them and it was not to be exploited. My fascination of Max's gift and Rachel's little stunt aside, I was currently downstairs in The Gathering Hall, sitting on the couch, legs crossed and challenging suffering for what seemed like the hundredth time that day and struggling to build up the courage to call their house. I didn't want things to look weird on my end, so I didn't make any advances towards Max. Not in private and certainly not during school hours. I kept my distance and it was a shame I had to resort such measures because for starters, Rachel was still home sick and not able to attend her classes. Perfect time for me and Max to chill and sort out through everything right? But if Max felt the same way, why didn't she seek me out? Sure we spoke to each other in the hallways and got along like always, but I didn't feel comfortable making the first move. Not right now anyway. When Max contacted me with the intention to go deeper and learn, whether that be by text or in person, only then would I respond and try to discuss with her the reasons behind my agenda.

"You look bored out of your mind. Why don't you get out a little and go do something fun?"

Glancing up from the television screen, I quietly observed Courtney enter the room, collect her back pack off a long end table near the window before finally looking at me.

"Fun?"

I retorted, tossing the remote off to the side and onto a pillow.

"There's plenty to do in L.A. but I'm just not in the mood, you know? I think I'll work on my photo album for my portfolio instead."

Sighing, Courtney slung her back pack over her shoulder, carefully adjusting the strap until it was secure. She gave me a final look of concern before turning around and leaving the room. I literally sat there and waited for her to go out the door before crossing my arms and glaring down at my wireless phone and fought back the urge to pick it up and call Max for myself. I was restless and dying in the suspense. It was a lazy Friday afternoon and she didn't have any classes today. Neither did I. It was the perfect set up to work out some things but Chloe had already told me that day before Rachel came barging in here to not make the first move and if I did, she wouldn't be obligated to help me out when it came down to Rachel knowing about my and Max's situation. The way Chloe sees it, if I can't follow a simple request then she feels she shouldn't have to do anything, even if Max vouched for me, she made it clear she would look the other way and let the chips fall and land without her intervention. I glared at my phone again, insulted, angry and frustrated with myself.

"Max deserves an explanation but she's not talking to me. Well she is but not about that. On slow days like these, I find it hard to believe she wouldn't be thinking about any of this. I bet Chloe is deliberately distracting Max and hasn't talked to Rachel at all."

I stood up and walked over to the window by the pool table and brooded. There was a slight chance Max wanted to talk, but her roommates were being difficult and she could be just as upset.

"Or..."

I muttered, reaching out and pressing my fingers tips against the cool surface of the window glass.

"It could be nothing like that and she's backing out of it before I have a chance to explain myself?"

I applied more pressure and ran my fingers down the glass, making bold, defined streaks in the process. Did Max blow me off? She told Chloe and me the same thing that night before passing out in my arms and then woke up reassuring the same thing so why the slow pace? Confused, I turned away from the window and went back over to sit on the couch. Pressing my lips together, I looked at my phone for the third time that day and sincerely thought about calling Max myself for a long time, just sitting there, letting the seconds tick by for several minutes.

"What's the worse that'll happen? Rejection? I'm used to such treatment from losers like them. But Max is my focus."

I sighed in annoyance, already having a strong idea where this choice might go and the consequences of it but my mind was made up and I wasn't just going to call Max... I was going over to her house. Courtney did say to get out and enjoy the roses and what better way to do that, then to go see Max in person?

"First things first."

I snatched up my smartphone and brought up Max's contact information.

"I need to call her and let her know I'm coming over."

With a air of confidence, I pressed her number on the screen and raised it up and gently pressed the screen against my ear. I held my breath the entire time the line rang. A few seconds went by, then another and another...

Come on Max. Pick up your phone.

I got her voice mail and probably should of called it quits right there but I was too riled up now to give into defeat so easily. I tried calling a second time, waited through another stream of silence and waited some more. It nicely took me five tries before Max picked up to answer but when she did, I found myself smirking in satisfaction.

"H-Hello?"

Instantly, my smile left and my chest swelled with guilt. She sounded so tired. Probably was napping without a care in the world until I forced her to wake up with my phone call.

"Hi Max. Did I wake you? Be honest."

I asked, already knowing the answer to my own question.

"Uhh..."

She trailed off and fell silent for a few seconds.

"Yes, yes you did but it's okay. I needed to get up anyway."

She replied through a yawn, then gently cleared her throat. Again, there was a pause. Thinking she might of nodded off and went back to sleep, I actually started to secretly hang up but then, she spoke into phone, startling me.

"I know why you're calling me and I know you're pissed because I haven't really... gone out of my way to give you a sign that things were okay on my end but I need you to be patient with me, with Chloe and Rachel and with the situation in general. I hate to say this but can you wait a little bit longer?"

I blinked, both shocked and impressed that Max confirmed what I needed to know but also brought to my attention that our brief encounters at the college were not going to change and any other communication outside of the college, would have to be limited, probably even more so than it was already.

"Max, how much longer will you make me wait, hmm?"

I asked in a soft voice, glancing behind me to make sure none of the other girls were within hearing range.

"We have to casually build up to your position in all of this Victoria. Rachel's already seeing red when it comes to you and if we want her to be opened minded about it, we need to give her time to adjust. Chloe and I have mentioned little bits of pieces of what happened at the party, but we have yet to get to the part where you and her were arguing and I walking in."

"Can't we just... I dunno... overlook Rachel for the time being? I don't like that you have a bad view of what happened, Max. I'm still the bad guy in the relationship, and it bothers me that I am because I really meant what I said about becoming your friend."

I gruffly remarked as I swiftly walked out of The Gather Hall, up the stairs, down the hall and into my bedroom.

"Victoria, I told you I wasn't going to jump to conclusions until I heard everything you had to say. I wish we could just pretend Rachel's presence doesn't matter but that's simply not the case."

Max kindly explained, lowering her voice, probably for the same reason I did on my end.

"Can we at least start eating together at the college like we use to? You just stopped coming over. I mean, what's up with that? Does Rachel have that much control in your life, Max?"

"Control?"

Max huffed, making sure her annoyance could be heard through the line.

"Rachel does not have authority over me like that Victoria, I assure you. There's a difference in minding her suggestions and yielding to her concerns but at the end of the day, I decide if I'm going to listen or not. I'm my own boss. No one owns me. Not Rachel, not Chloe, and certainly not you. We have **friendships** , not **ownerships.** "

Max sounded angry but her drowsiness was too strong for me to take anything she was saying offensively.

"It certainly doesn't come across that way to me Max."

I countered gently, practically feeling her eyes narrow on the opposite end.

"So does that mean Taylor, Courtney and the others who agreed to live with you because they want to be controlled or because they love you and desire your company, despite **your** controlling personally?"

Max argued a moment later and rightly put me in my place.

"Touché Caulfield. I crossed a line, forgive me, but it really doesn't seem like you have any freedom in these areas if Rachel has to be dealt with each and every time."

I patiently explained, stealing another nervous glance over my shoulder. I almost expected one of the girls to barge in and catch me on the phone with Max and demand to know what it was the two of us were discussing. Either that or hear them breathing against the door as they tried to eavesdrop and put the dots together for themselves.

"Oh and the reason I haven't been coming to eat with you..."

At that very moment, I heard Max have a coughing fit in the background. It was a weak but potent enough that I could hear the strain it caused her voice when she spoke into the phone again.

"I'm sick. I caught Rachel's flu virus and so did Chloe but since we recognized the signs, we're not suffering nearly as bad like Rachel was. Rachel's is pretty much over hers. In fact, she's been the one taking care of me and Chloe, so after school, I come home, she helps me with my homework, nurses me with soup and junk, then sends me straight to my bed. Now you'd think Chloe would get some leisure not having a job or being a non-student, but Rachel treats her the same and puts Chloe's ass in bed every time Chloe tries to do anything outside of resting and taking her medicine. I think if I get enough bed rest and keep taking my medicine, I'll recover in no time. Sorry for not telling you."

Her voice dropped again, almost as if she didn't want anyone to hear what she was about to say next.

"I didn't want to get you sick so I figured if I kept my distance, you'd be safe. Sorry for not letting you in on that. It just didn't seem like something you'd care about. I mean... you've made it pretty obvious what it is you want from me and it's not a flu virus."

At that we both shared some quiet laughter.

"Um no. No it's not."

I agreed, still laughing along with her.

"Wow, Now I feel like a total jerk."

"What do you mean?"

"Putting it bluntly, I was going to go over there and demand that you hear me out and everything. It's a good thing you told me this, otherwise I'd keep thinking selfishly... now hang up with me and go get some rest. We'll talk soon enough. And I will wait, I'll wait as long as it takes. I trust you Max."

I smoothly responded, taking comfort from hearing her soft sigh fill my ear.

"Thank you Victoria. I know it's hard but it'll be worth it if we can slowly break Rachel in before you say anything. To me, to her, to Chloe, it will go over so much better if we wait."

"Speaking of waiting, Max."

I placed my index finger and thumb against my eyebrows.

"I told you since your stomach was already in a sensitive state to drink water or Gatorade for the day, but you went ahead and ate something. You just told me, that you take what others say or ask of you into consider, so why didn't you listen to me? I feel horrible that happened to you, prior to getting sick earlier that morning."

I lowered my hand away from face hearing her giggle.

"What can I say? You had left over bacon and it's my one, true weakness in life. I didn't think two slices would set me off. But hey, more downtime with you, right?"

I scoffed.

"Tell that to my ruined portrait and broken vase. Rachel was seriously pissed that you guys hadn't checked in with her. Coming over to my home and finding you sick in my bathroom, was a terrifying experience. Was the bacon worth that, Max?"

My eyebrows raised hearing Max chuckle again.

"I dunno. Was it?"

"Really Max? You're going to play dumb brush off what happened like it didn't do something? You got mercy, Chloe and I-"

"Got served."

I felt a flush creep up my neck and instantly tried to explain to Max why I found it unsettling and why she should of just toughed out the after effects of her hang over, when I heard a voice address me from behind.

"Victoria?"

I recognized the pitch all too well, all to quickly. Alarmed, I whirled around, stumbled back in a panic and nearly dropped my smartphone. There, standing in stunning causal clothes with her arms crossed over her chest and head titled to the side, Rachel Amber watched my reaction to her being in the doorway with amusement.

Rachel?!

My mind screamed in horror.

What is **she** doing back? Who let her in here?! I distinctly gave the house orders to **not** let anyone in here from Max's house unless it was Max herself.

As if Rachel could hear the rise of my thoughts, Rachel's eyes narrowed ever so slowly. Cocking an eyebrow, she showed herself into my room, resting her piercing stare on the phone first, then on my face.

"That Max on the other line?"

Oh she just had to point out the obvious, didn't she? Recovering from the initial shock of seeing Rachel stalking towards me like a cocky feline, I turned my head and said my last words to Max for the day.

"Max, I need to go. I have an unannounced guest in my room. Can we continue this chat later?"

"Rachel's there... isn't she?"

Instead of answering Max or hanging up, I quickly lowered my smartphone and covered the earpiece with my other hand. Max must of thought I was ignoring her on purpose, because next thing I know, she started talking to me in loud, angry protest. Regrettably, I sighed promptly clicked the button off, hanging up and ending our call. Now a shoulder length away from me, Rachel stood there, eyeing me like I was prey, something she wanted to kill and possibly, devour but that look of disgust in her eyes spoke volumes and then it suddenly dawned on me why Rachel was in my house.

"Who let you in?"

"I let myself in."

Rachel snapped, sparing the open door a quick glance.

"I ran into Dana again. Like a good trained watchdog, she asked me what I was doing here and straight out told me if I was going to disrespect your home, I might as well turn around and leave."

I looked off momentarily then back at Rachel, mirroring her angry expression with a fury of my own.

"And you stayed around, because...?"

Rachel tipped her head back and she stared up at the ceiling as if to beg for patience. I think it's safe to say she only dropped her head when the urge to strike me left her system and could show some restraint on her end.

"Told her we had business to take care of and that I wasn't leaving until we spoke with each other. I did however, promise I wouldn't destroy anything this time. Dana hesitated but she did let me pass and come up here. If she hadn't, I still would of gotten up here you know."

"By using your fast forward power right? Typical."

The words fell out of my mouth before I realized it and I regretted it the moment it happened. Rachel's face darkened and for a split second, I really thought she was going to... hurt me. Like, really hurt me.

"Listen Victoria..."

Rachel paused so she could turn around and shut the door. Taking a breath, she slowly faced me with a haunting, deadly look on her face.

"I don't know what's going on. Not fully anyway. All I know is my roommates have been trying to get me in a good mood so I can listen to whatever it is, that happened here two weeks ago. They don't come out and tell me directly and it's starting to get old really quick, really fast. Now I see why they were so hesitant to tell me..."

Oh no. I just shot myself in the foot! If I was hearing this conversation correctly then... Rachel didn't know that I knew about her and Max's time power and she, who was just getting the surface of the iceberg, came over here probably to figure out on her own terms what's going on and I just ruined it by admitting to her, that I... oh shit!

"So you know huh?"

My anger dissolved completely, replaced with fear and uncertainty. Rachel didn't help matters by just standing there with her back against the door and pinning me under that heated gaze of hers. It was all the more intimidating because she knew that I was aware of everything. Well, probably mostly everything, all because I said what I had and if I didn't think of something to pacify her soon, I wonder if I really would have to call the law? Rachel is like a loose cannon when angry and once fired, she won't stop until she hits her target and I, without question, was her target.

"Yes. I know... everything."

I sighed, scratching the back of my neck guiltily.

"How?"

Simple question that demanded an answer. An answer I was reluctant to give. At first, I started to tell her, then stopped, realizing I could simply show her Max's journal entry.

"This is how I found out. It was by complete accident on my part... and I've chosen to believe what Max wrote down ever since."

Nodding stiffly, Rachel stood still and watched as I withdrew the folded piece of paper from my rear pocket. I didn't want to give it to her but I figured since I've dug my hole this deep, might as well go all the way. She knows, she's here, what more could go wrong?

"I um... was walking around the school and just so happened to find that in the bushes."

I calmly replied, carefully taking note of Rachel's body language the whole time she read in silence. While she read, I took a moment to glance around the room. Since I didn't know how Rachel would react to any of this, I took a few steps back and patiently waited for her to finish. The more Rachel scanned, the tighter her frown became and her eyes would squint ever so often.

"I see. So, this is what the fuss has been about. It all makes sense now."

She mumbled and slowly folded the paper back up. I was hoping she'd give it back, but she did not. Rachel reached inside of her winter coat and stuffed the paper inside of a pocket, refusing to return it to me.

"Since you all clearly wanted my undivided attention... you're going to get it."

She fell silent and to my displeasure, waked right up to me and roughly took hold of my wrist. I tried to break free and get away from her but I couldn't really do that since... well... oooh how to say this? The last thing I remember wanting to do, was just that, getting as far away as possible from Rachel, even if that meant having to run into my bathroom and lock it like a coward. But currently, I was not in my bedroom near my bathroom. In fact, I wasn't anywhere near the lot where my house resided. I was inside of Max's house, in her room and Chloe, just so happened to be with her on the bed. From the looks of things, Chloe was about to fall asleep where so Max was already half asleep. With me present, with my wrist still captive in Rachel's hand, they sat up and gawked at us and Rachel and I, stared right back at them for what seemed like, forever. Feeling Rachel's grip loosen, she finally released me but I continued to stand there, like a deer in headlights, trying to process what in the world just happened to me when deep down, I knew exactly what had happened. Rachel used her time power and took me physically to her house. And now I was forced to engage in whatever it was Rachel had planned.

"Okay. I'm here, Chloe's here, Max is here and your here."

Rachel pointed between me and the two girls on the bed.

"Now that we're all on the same page, one of you wanna explain to me what this is about?"

Max exchanged a sleepy, mutual look with Chloe then both of them sighed and glanced away from Rachel. As for me, I mentally debated on how I was going to worm my way out of this mess if and when Rachel snapped and decided to challenge me.

"Well-"

Max began to tell Rachel her reason, but was rudely cut off by a building, congested cough of sorts. Chloe gave Max a compassionate look, reached over and patted her back a few times as Max coughed into the crease of her arm. When the coughing fit passed, she lowered her arm, cleared her throat and looked right at Rachel.

"It all started when I went to the academy after the storm destroyed Arcadia Bay..."


	5. Episode 5: Alone (Max Caulfield)

**Summary:**

* * *

I had started to tell Rachel about what I was doing at Blackwell that day under the tree before Chloe found me, but had to stop in the middle of what I was saying because I began to cough out of nowhere. Afterwards, I cupped my throat and used my finger tips to deeply massage at it, hating the fiery sensation the coughs always created. Taking pity on me, Rachel cast me a quick look of concern and reached out towards me with her hand but abruptly stopped herself from following through with the idea. Remembering Victoria, Rachel eyes turned a shade darker and her entire persona went from remotely calm, to furious like grease lighting.

"None of us are leaving this studio to do anything until one you tell me what this is all about."

Rachel snarled, instantly making us flinch against our will. When it became evident that no one was going to answer right way, Rachel started to tap her foot impatiently against the ground and that some how, added to the suffocating silence.

"Okay."

She growled, raising one hand up on her hip and giving us all a plain glare that somehow, still managed to come across as death.

"Let me rephrase my words. I will not let anyone leave this room if someone doesn't start talking."

Wowser. She meant that too. I could tell by the tone of her voice but blast it all, I couldn't help my shyness. I wasn't emotionally ready for this. Everything was happening way too fast. I mean, why did Rachel go to Victoria's anyway? She said she was going to go on a _walk_ , so naturally, Chloe and I assumed she was going to do that. If we had known that walk was going to take her to Victoria's house and end up back at our house, with Victoria in Rachel's custody, we wouldn't of let her leave the studio. Not by a long shot.

"You read the journal entry. It's kind of self-explanatory, Rachel."

Hearing that, I jerked my head up and looked right at Victoria, thinking she showed Rachel the document on purpose when I heard Rachel interrupt and bitterly reply,

" _That_ does not count nor does it help me understand why you're such a big deal in all of this. I want to know why they-"

Rachel moved her hand off her hip so she could gesture at me and Chloe sitting on the bed.

"Are acting weird."

Rachel faced Victoria and took on a slightly aggressive stance.

"I can't live in a house with weirdos that are trying waaaay too hard to keep me happy. They weren't behaving like this until _after_ your party. So talk!"

Victoria dipped her head, averting her eyes away from Rachel's and just stood there with a perplexed expression on her face. Glancing over, I studied Chloe's overall appearance. She didn't look happy about the situation but it was also obvious to trained eyes like mine, that she was trying really hard to keep herself from nodding off and stay awake long enough to give Rachel what she wanted.

The truth.

Something that neither Chloe or myself was prepared to reveal. I don't think we had a choice anymore. That and like Chloe told me that morning in Victoria's house... Victoria's fate was going to depend on what I said to Rachel.

"Um, Rachel?"

I didn't mean to squeak and sound like I was going through puberty. This confound cough was messing my voice box up like crazy and I had yet to feel full relief from the constriction in my lungs because of it. Scowling at myself, I opened my mouth and tried addressing Rachel again.

"Ra-"

Epic fail. I didn't even get half way through saying her name before I squeaked again, only this time, the noise extended and rolled into a coughing frenzy that didn't stop until Chloe thought to go get me a bottle of water from the fridge. Even after Chloe had brought me the bottle of water, no one spoke and they deliberately kept their eyes on me until I finished. Their stares of genuine concern, were not helping my self-confidence build up. At all.

 _Great. The only time they're not killing each other is when it involves me. Cereal-sly? So does this mean I have to become a helpless case for them to get along?_

Closing my eyes in annoyance, I flushed from frustration and embarrassment.

"I'm okay."

I finally croaked, though my voice still sounded cracked and a little too high pitched for my liking. _Not_ wanting to continue my conversation like that, I took another long sip of water, capped it, tossed the water bottle at the end of my feet and took a moment to regain my pride. Swallowing nothing I tried really hard to breath nice and slow until I felt like I could speak normally again.

"Rachel listen. I don't know anymore than you do. Chloe is innocent, she didn't know anything expect that Victoria had somehow, found out about our power..."

Rachel, Chloe and Victoria remained silent and politely waited for me to explain things.

"So she went with me to the party to investigate and figure it out for herself. I'm pretty sure Chloe was going to keep quiet about it until she got proof of what she needed."

I wearily rubbed at my eyes and fought back the urge to yawn but it came out anyway. Chloe, to my amazement, still wasn't saying anything in her defense but she did rub my back and gaze at me with those beautiful blue orbs of hers. I find it hilarious that Rachel was on that fine line of erupting like a volcano but Chloe, chose to remain quiet and give me loves through tiny gestures. Like, getting me the water and rubbing my back just now. She really cares about me. She's sick, suffering the same handicaps right along with me but sets her needs aside to care for me. That in itself, is impressive.

"Anyway, to make a long story short, I had a little too much to drink, Victoria agreed to go find Chloe and found her, waiting in her bedroom but Chloe didn't realize Victoria had the evidence. The journal entry I made was all the proof Chloe needed to find, steal and I guess... destroy so she could play dumb when Victoria questioned her about it. But when Victoria didn't come back, I went to go find them and walked in on a conversation I wasn't supposed to hear. Chloe was pretty mad and so was Victoria."

I took this moment to glance between the three of them, making sure I still had their attention. Seeing that they were, I continued.

"Victoria asked me to be understanding and hear her out so I told her I would do that and asked Chloe not to say anything about it until Victoria and I had a chance to talk about what happened."

Victoria instinctively touched her black eye, drawing Rachel's attention immediately.

"I think I can put the rest together."

Rachel dryly ground out, looking Victoria over.

"However, Chloe doesn't just go around punching people unless you say something incredibly hurtful, offensive or make it a point to attack her. Tell me Victoria, what did you say to her?"

Victoria hesitated.

"Well."

Victoria sighed, finding her voice.

"I nicely told Chloe she didn't have the right to harass me about wanting to ask Max about her power and using it to save some people in my life that are-"

Victoria stopped and quickly corrected herself before resuming what it was she had to say.

" _Were_ really important me, which seemed pretty self-less on my part since you know, it wasn't _me_ I was wanting her to save..."

Victoria looked away from us and I had a gut sinking feeling what I was about to hear, would do one of two things. It would A, make me feel good about this entire situation or B, make things worse.

"When Chloe herself, based on what I read from Max's journal entry... should of died a long time ago. And if I'm going to honest, you too, Rachel. I didn't seem right for Chloe to slander me, judge me and tell me no in place of Max when technically, she wouldn't even be here today in _this_ reality if Max hadn't saved her."

Looks like I'm going with B.

"Wow. I knew you could be low but that was just jaded of you Victoria. Now I'm _glad_ Chloe punched you in the face."

My worst fears were manifesting themselves right before my very eyes and I was stuck, lighted headed and sore on the bed from too much coughing, rendering me absolutely useless.

"And this is why Max wanted to talk to me in private so I could explain myself without me looking as you said, jaded Rachel. Since we can't have that leisure, I have no choice but to tell you like this Max."

Victoria looked over at me momentarily then back at Rachel.

"But if you ask me, you and Chloe are the twisted ones here."

Rachel and Chloe shot Victoria such dirty looks. Receiving their disproval, Victoria raised a hand in defense, dismissing whatever they were about to say with a swift wave.

"Oh no. Don't you _dare_ give me that victim routine. If anyone is a victim in this mess, it's Max."

Unimpressed, Victoria kept going, letting her frustration and anger filter through her voice. She was really upset but now, I fear, her becoming emotionally driven was only going to add to the fire that was already flaring between the three of them. Again, I could do nothing. I mean I could speak up and force myself into the conversation but these guys, have had it out for the other since the start. Like, before I transferred back to Blackwell start. This might sound bad on my part, but I think the best thing for Chloe, Rachel and Victoria... was not inferring with what either had to say, sit there like a good child and quietly observe everything in the background.

"How can you stand there and defend Chloe or yourself when the odds, by default, are against the both of you? Without Max, neither of you would be here. Max went through hell to keep you guys alive, safe and happy. If you think I'm going to take a beating from Chloe over there and let that intimidate out of this, you're wrong!"

Victoria pointed a stern finger at me then moved it onto Rachel.

"You guys _do_ realize my parents, along with countless others from the Arcadia Bay area, are _dead_ because of Max's power, right?!"

My eyes widened at first, then slowly closed in pain from the unexpected wave of guilt swelling up in my chest. Shifting my hands nervously on my lap, Chloe and Rachel didn't miss my reaction to the accusation. Their own anger surfaced and all at once, Chloe was off the bed and standing beside Rachel, jaw tight with clenched balled up fists. Rachel was equally pissed but she maintained her cool profile and simply stood there, glowering hatefully at Victoria through slanted eyes. This should of been Victoria's sign to drop it but she kept going, scared shitless of them or not, for better or for worse, Victoria didn't stop.

"And if my theories about the storm are correct, the storm happened _because_ of Max screwing around with time but her love for the both of you wouldn't let her stop until you both were out of harm's way. So it's okay for her to jeopardize her body for you guys, drive herself to the point of insanity and even _die_ , all in the name of friendship and love-but God forbid, if I seek that same person and ask her to travel back in time to a earlier moment so I can warn my parents about the storm, it's blasphemy of the highest degree, right? If it had been me, I would of talked Max into trying to warn the town and oh I don't know, do something productive like _leave_ the area before it _hit_ and _killed_ people! Instead, what do you all do? You selfishly kept her a secret to yourselves and depended on her to save you over and over and expected her undivided loyalty to you as a result. Just. Like. A. Ownership agreement. Friendship? Love? Is that the words you use to brainwash her with, to keep her under your control? And _I'm_ the bad influence in Max's life?! _I'm_ the one who needs to stay away and mind my own business?! That's rich. See, if you two were doing your jobs as Max's friends, you'd seek her happiness over your own and accept your fates and _die!_ "

Before anyone could react, Rachel bolted from where she was standing and slammed into Victoria at full force, making her to stumble backwards until she made contact with my sliding closet door. The impact physically looked like it hurt but Victoria didn't cry out in pain. She did squirm when Rachel forced her harder into the door and placed one hand on her shoulder and drug her nails as hard she could into Victoria's skin. Victoria winced then cried out when Rachel pressed her other forearm firmly into her throat and held it there.

"Don't you _even_ act like you would be the better option for Max and tell me and my other best friend over there to accept the bullshit from the unknown! You don't know _anything_ about Max, you don't know anything about _us!_ Chloe's father died, was ripped away from her and no one had a say so in the matter but Max, with her power, does and to a degree, so do I! Why else does she have it if she can't interfere and help others? You're just jealous that we were those people and you and your parents didn't get noticed by her."

Rachel growled, her voice low and thick with insult. Victoria's eyes narrowed and she instinctively raised a hand and tightly dug her nails into Rachel's scalp. The action made Rachel grimace, giving Victoria enough time to use her another hand. Releasing a fierce battle cry, Victoria used her nails to scratch Rachel across the face, starting at the base of her forehead all the way down over the bridge of her nose and ending by Rachel's cheek. Rachel, needless to say didn't see that coming and had no choice but to let go of Victoria so she could recover. All it took, was Rachel pressing her hand against her face and withdrawing it a moment later and seeing Rachel's fingers stained with some blood for Chloe to go off. Victoria didn't waste any time and quickly reached for the bluntest object near her.

My guitar.

Smirking, she quickly grabbed it by its neck and used it to whack Chloe from the side. She hit Chloe so hard, my guitar actually cracked in several places and some strings sprung out of alignment. Chloe hit her knees and started to cough, both from too much air getting in her lungs and from the brutal smack down of having a guitar slam into her rib cage. Rachel didn't let that slide. Ignoring the blood seeping through the fresh scratch marks, she grabbed Victoria from behind, putting her in a painful headlock and returned Victoria's attack to the face without hesitation.

"Guys, stop it!"

I didn't have the strength to do get tangled up in their brawl, but at the same time, I couldn't watch them destroy each other over difference in opinion, either. So, I did what any struggling weakling would do. I took a deep breath and carefully, but quickly, slid off the bed and stood on shaky legs.

"I said-"

My voice was not heard over the combination of their grunting and yelling and I understood that. It was just taking me a minute to build some momentum so I could sound louder

" _Stop!_ "

I screamed the word as loud as I could, pushing through the congestion and strain on my lungs. It hurt but hey, it got their attention. Huffing heavily, I walked over and put myself right in the middle of their cross fire. Victoria paused and she turned her head to look at me. Her hands were still holding my guitar but the neck was officially on its way to snapping in half. Chloe was on the ground, arms securely wrapped around one of Victoria's ankles and she froze and also looked up at me. Rachel made no move to ease up on her head lock but she did open her mouth and cease on trying to bite Victoria's ear off... which for the record, was a bloody mess and if you looked at the inside of her ear close enough, you could see where Rachel's teeth actually managed to pierce through the skin and make tiny bite mark holes.

"We are _not_ going to do this. I love you all too much to _let_ you do this to each other."

I glanced between them, wanting to be mad at them but to a degree, they were all justified for their own personal reasons. However, I couldn't handle the outcome of any of this, so I rolled back the sleeve on my arm... the arm that contained my time power and held it up where they could see it.

"I can't believe I'm going to use my power over something like this, but you guys aren't leaving me any choice."

They, oddly enough did not back sass, tell me to stop, or get irritated and try to attack each other anymore, but they did remain as they were, breath heavily while attempting to catch their breath. Regrettably, I closed my eyes and focused, personally wondering if I still had the ability to do it. When I felt a rush of wind and dared to crack one eye open, I saw the phantoms of everyone, including myself, moving at medium pace, their bodies reverting back to original poses, positions and with that, conversations that I was going to include myself with and change.

* * *

When time stopped, I was back on the bed and found myself at the point where I was supposed to tell Rachel what I was doing at Blackwell. My coughing fit did sadly still happened but right after Chloe went to get me water and I sipped on some of it, I took full control of the entire situation and told them that I had used my power for the first time in months and the reason for it. Rachel was angry at Victoria for pushing her to such a point but said nothing to her. Victoria was honestly, a little shocked that they all started fighting so viciously but not too surprised that it had happened and Chloe... Chloe just sat beside me and gazed down at the bed sheets with a grumpy expression on her face.

"So why rewind if that's what it'll amount to then, Max?"

Chloe asked a long moment later, lifting her head just slightly and looking at me from the corner of her narrowed eyes. Sighing, I got off the bed for the second time that day and walked right up to Victoria, choosing to ignore Chloe's question. Technically, the fight started because Victoria got all worked up. I knew her reasons now and I understood that I needed to make a serious choice... a choice I needed to go through in depth, so Victoria could form a better understanding about...well... everything.

"Listen to me Victoria."

I took hold of Victoria's face and pulled it just a tad bit closer to mine, to Chloe and Rachel's disgust, I'm sure.

"What you want, isn't what you think it's going to be."

"Oh for crying out loud!"

Chloe barked in the background.

"Max, do you _really_ want to risk all of what we did to get to this point? All for _her?_ "

Pursing my lips, I continued to hold onto Victoria's face, but reframed from speaking, knowing full well Chloe or Rachel had to get their two cents in. Chloe's argument was fair, just and true. Rachel's rejection to the idea of me rewinding back to our darkest hour just to spare Victoria's parents, was also point proven. When they finished expressing their deepest concerns, I simply told them that it boiled down between me and Victoria. Victoria wanted to ask me to use my power, therefore, I had every right to decide what to do with her request because in the end, none of them could stop me from doing it... not unless Rachel or Chloe thought to burn my diary which if I suspected that's what was going happen, I would take immediate precaution. Not for the sake of Victoria but for myself. That diary of photos, is literally the only thing that will link me to my and their, past lives. If something truly does go wrong, I may need to use a photo. And since I just discovered that my time power still works, it's all the more crucial for me to protect the diary and its contents.

"Rachel, Chloe... I understand why you're worried and why you don't want me to even batter an eyelash at her request, but you know... she did have some strong valid points that I took into strong consideration along with everything you and Rachel had to say, too Chloe. This situation we're in, doesn't have a black and white answer, sadly."

Letting go of Victoria's face, Victoria pulled away but not by much. Offering her a sweet smile, I glowered over my shoulder at my beloved roommates, hating that they were still on a rant about the whole thing.

"So what, now you're siding with her?"

Chloe flipped Victoria off then gestured hatefully at her using both hands.

"She hit me with your guitar Max! Your _guitar!_ Whether or not she had a good case going for her, shouldn't matter when the defendant gets violent."

I nodded, like a weary parent who's heard far too many complaints from their child after a long day at work.

"Yes, yes I know Chloe. But you guys pushed her just as hard she pushed you."

After several minutes went by, the heated discussion I engaged in with Chloe and Rachel finally came to close. It was obvious by the frowns, they didn't like it but when they saw that I was bent on talking to Victoria and giving her a answer, they went against their better judgment and gave in, but firmly warned me, that ultimately, the choice is mine to make and mine alone. Glad that they came to that conclusion on their own and established that Victoria was my area of expertise, I finally looked at Victoria and asked her to follow me out to the living room. Out of respect, Chloe and Rachel agreed to stay in my room until we got done talking.

"I really wish I things had gone more smoothly and everything that took place here today didn't force my hand but I now understand what it is you desire and I want you to know, that I get that. More than you know... I mean, I _did_ sacrifice Arcadia Bay to save them you know?"

Victoria was sitting beside me on the couch, shoulder pressed against shoulder but neither she or I looked directly at each other. We kept our heads straight and our voices low, where we really did want to keep our conversation between just the two of us.

"I wanted to spend more time together and build our friendship before today's encounter happened..."

Victoria nodded gently in agreement and continued to sit there and listen to me.

"I need you to understand, after everything has been said and done today, I think if we had that extra time and got to know each other better, I more than likely, knowing me, would be _willing_ to do that but in the same breath, I think I'd still wind up copping out in the end. And this is why..."

I turned my head, as did she. Looking deeply into her eyes I tried to sound authorize with my voice, squeaks and all.

"It's not just because of my loyalty to Chloe and Rachel. It's not just because I physically can't handle it. It's not just because deep down I'm terrified to screw around with time for a good cause, but because where we are right now and all the experiences we've had in L.A., will change."

Victoria's eyes widened a little bit. Swallowing, she nodded again, indicating she was following and wanted me to continue.

"The whole future as we know it for _everyone_ around will change. What we-"

I lifted my hands and used one hand to cup the cheek that bore her black eye, while the other rested on her shoulder. I blame my period for making me overly emotional in that moment as I felt the tears building up in my eyes. What's worse, seeing me starting to cry, made Victoria's own eyes coat over with moisture, shockingly enough.

"We won't have this ether. Everything you're starting to mean to me and whatever I mean to you will not be there, Victoria. In fact, if your parents live, I dare say you won't have any use for me. You'd probably go about your life with them and never think twice to look my way like you have here. But _I_ remember the things I've done in alternate realties Victoria. Do you know how insulting and painful it's going to be for me, to see you brush me off and treat me like the dirt under your shoe again? I mean, I'll get over it and there might be a slight chance we'll become friends again but it's _not_ likely to happen if your parents live. That and what about Chloe? What about Rachel? Will they be there with me? And what about Kate and the others? Are they going to make it through the storm? I don't know why but it seems like every time I rewind and build up to October 11th, something different always happens so... I'm sorry but I can't do it. I can't put myself through the unknown again and risk loosing Chloe and Rachel or possibly, making matters worse. What if... Victoria what if _you_ die instead of your parents?"

I bit my lower lip to keep it from quivering and all the while Victoria's face was become more and more broken.

"The last time I tried to pull that for a friend, her father lived but she got in car wreck instead and wound up paralyzed in a wheelchair and was slowly dying! What's worse, Chloe asked me to give her extra morphine so she could just be free of her pain and torment. Wanna know what else sucks about me killing off my best friend? Her parents had driven themselves into debt, debt that they'd be stuck paying off for the rest of their miserable lives and it was all for nothing because I helped take away the one thing that made their misery worth while! Do you want such a fate to befall you Victoria? It's totally possible and I... I can't do that to do. I love you too much as my friend in _this_ reality to do that to you!"

I lost it, I straight out lost it. Ashamed to even be having a break down in front of her like this, I bowed my head, raised both hands and covered my eyes, sobbing so hard I made myself cough a few times. I guess Chloe and Rachel heard me coughing and crying and came out of my bedroom to see what was wrong because I heard the door groan open and worried footsteps starting to approach the couch. Not looking at anyone, I sat there, helpless just balling my eyes out.

"If I stay here, I fail you and if I rewind, I fail Chloe and Rachel. I-I just can't... bear the thought of doing it all over again and at the same time, I'm flattered you want to save your parents Victoria but I'm sorry!"

I doubled over, pressing the palms of my hands that much harder into my tear stained face.

"I can't! I don't want that reality, no more than seeing you, Chloe and Rachel fighting each other over it! Why? Why must I always be the one to suffer these things?! I didn't ask for any of this!"

Suddenly, I felt multiple arms wrap around me and all at once, my crying started to settle until I all of my sobbing subsided. Wondering who dared to touch me, I slowly lowered my hands down and away from my face to see what was happening. Chloe had gotten in behind me and was hugging me close and the one responsible for the doting kisses I felt on the back of my neck and on my shoulder blades. Rachel was kneeling down in front of the couch and linked her arm with mine. With my hands no longer guarding my face, she leaned in and gradually began to nuzzle into my neck. And Victoria had her arms caved around my shoulders, hands buried underneath Chloe's arms and she took a huge risk by easing forward and pressing her forehead against mine.

I have... no idea how long we all stayed like that. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? I don't know and I don't care. I was broken and if I'm going to be honest with myself, I needed the physical comfort they were providing. I didn't look at any of them, I kept staring down at my lap with lost eyes.

"You're not alone."

Victoria whispered, her voice cracking though the silence like a whip. Sniffing softly, I raised my head and leveled my gaze with hers.

"I know that... sorry. It just kinda came out when I was freaking on you guys. My bad."

Their arms still around me, they tried to cuddle closer into my body, even though it was impossible for them to do it, they still tried. Victoria included.

"Let's... put our differences aside and uh... take a few days to think about this. We'll meet back up, here at our place and calmly talk things through."

Came the surprisingly, mature suggestion from Chloe Price. Nodding their heads slightly in agreement, Victoria and Rachel let go of me, sighed, then glanced at each other. That was all they did, before Rachel straightened up and Victoria pulled away and rose up from the couch. Chloe stayed behind me but made sure to keep a steady on the two of them along with me.

"You okay?"

Rachel's question of concern for Victoria was sincere enough but it still sounded weird hearing Rachel talk to Victoria in that manor. Taking a moment to brush away some excess tears, Victoria nodded.

"Yeah. I'm good."

Victoria and Rachel both rubbed at the back of their necks, appearing to be at ease with each other but _not_ so much that they shook hands or hugged each other in a truce.

"I'm going to go now. If that's all right with you guys?"

Rachel opened her mouth and started to speak but Victoria turned away, putting her back to all of us and quickly started to make her way for the front door. Rachel was not offended but she did look a little confused by Victoria's decision up and leave like she did.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone about Max's power or yours, for that matter Rachel."

Hand on the doorknob, Victoria twisted it and gently jerked the door wide open.

"Um Max... don't worry about what I asked, okay? I'd much rather-"

Victoria stepped outside, let go of the doorknob and let the door close on its own.

"Be like this, in this reality and keeps things as they are between us. I miss my parents and want them back. But I think, I want what we have more... so don't worry about it."

Were the last words Victoria said to me before the door snapped shut and separated us. Lifting her chin off my shoulder, Chloe released my waist and stared at the closed door.

"Rachel, didn't you bring her over here using your power?"

Rachel blinked, realizing that Chloe was right and wouldn't you know it, she dashed over to door and pulled it back open. Lucky for Rachel, Victoria was still walking in eye range, just a little ways down the sidewalk. Cupping her hands around her mouth, Rachel and called after her and kindly asked Victoria to turn around and come back so she could properly drive her back to her house. Victoria was hesitant about it but in the end, she did come back and Rachel kept true to her word and gave Victoria a lift. After making sure I was okay, Chloe and I retired to our rooms. Saddened and weary, I collapsed, face first, onto my bed and closed my exhausted eyes the moment I felt my pillows hit my face and stayed like that, letting the events of my day lure me into a agitated sleep. Maybe... just _maybe_ there's a little bit of hope for Victoria Chase after all?

 _Way to go Max... now you have_ _ **three** people_ _wanting to devout their everything to you._

Smiling a little bit, I faintly recalled the words Victoria told me before she left and decided that she had to of meant them, otherwise, she wouldn't of said what she did to being with. This was a good thing of course but I had a gut sinking feeling, I just invited more problems into my but you know what? I'll take Victoria, Chloe and Rachel problems over October 11th any day. Somehow, someway, that pleased me and I was finally able to lay still and drift into a much more, deeper, relaxing sleep and stayed asleep until the next day.


	6. Episode 6: Heads Up (Chloe Price)

The house phone rang for what seemed the hundredth time that day. Annoyed, I rolled over and pulled the covers over my head. I didn't feel obligated to get up out of bed and get it, so I simply ignored it. _I_ was still sick and... and... well, that was good enough and besides, Rachel was here. She didn't have anything going on or have to worry about recovering her strength. Rachel was far more alert and physically capable to walk around more than I was. I would call upon the Mighty Spider-Max to assistance me, but she's still out of commission. But man does she have balls. She goes to school during the weekday and chills during the weekend. With her being sick, I don't like to take away from her down time which is exactly why Rachel was perfect for the job.

"Chloe, can you get that?! Rachel's in the shower!"

Max hollered from her room, followed by a long winded cough and if I heard right, labored wheezing. Ahh, God love it. Max still sounded pretty rough. Well, as much as I wanted to be lazy and keep sleeping, I couldn't let poor Max strain herself, I just couldn't.

"Yeah! I'll get it!"

I answered back as loud as I could without hurting my own voice.

"This better be important. Stupid line has been ringing on and off all day..."

Huffing loudly, I tossed my covers back and swung my legs over the side of the bed. With a exceedingly grumpy expression on my face, I got up and groggily staggered my way into the living room to get the wireless. Now in the living room, I snatched the phone up out of its holder, and did myself a favor by siting down on the arm of the couch. Walking was still a chore but only because I felt like I had run a marathon without stretching. Ugh, I swear this flu virus was the worst.

"Now, who keeps pestering us? Probably a toll free number and so help if it is, I'll answer just to cuss them out."

Blinking slowly, I crossed my legs and peered closely at the caller ID.

"Huh? Mom's calling?"

Shocked to see that indeed, my mother was calling the house, I clicked the one button and hesitantly spoke into the speaker.

"M... Mom?"

 _"Finally! What took you all so long to pick up?"_

I opened my mouth and started to tell her why, when she interrupted me with another question.

 _"Are you sick? You sound awful."_

"Umm, yeah. We're all sick. A few weeks ago, Rachel came home from class and had a really bad fever. So Max and I took her to the doctor and she had the stomach virus... that she gave to Max, who gave it to me. Anyway, now that we've established that, why are you calling?"

 _"What kind of question is that? Am I not allowed to check on my own child from time to time?"_

Mom asked from the other end.

"Of course you are. It's just, you tend to call and check up when I go a long period without talking to you or dropping a text. I haven't been a hermit here lately, so I'm kinda confused, to be honest."

I explained, lowering my voice. Talking normally was still a pain. Looks like I'm going back to whispering for the moment.

 _"My, my. You're quite the observant one. It'll be harder to keep it a secret now."_

Mom sheepishly admitted, making sure to sound disappointed.

"Mom, what's going on? You're not planning on coming up to visit are you?"

I asked, narrowing my eyes.

 _"Why can't I ever surprise you with anything?"_

Mom playfully argued, although her happy mood did nothing for my poor one. I continued to sit there in a puddle of confusion and was become more and more irritated because she was _clearly_ up to something and was deliberately stopping herself to keep me in the dark.

 _"As a matter of fact, yes Chloe. David and I wanted to tell you we were going to come up during the holidays. The girls will be out of college until the next semester, so it'll be the prefect get-to-together for all of us."_

"Sooo."

I drew the word out, idly wrapping a lose strand of my blue hair around my index finger.

"You wanna come up for the holidays? That's all the phone harassing was about?"

 _"What do you mean, "phone harassing was about"...?"_

Thinking she was trying to play innocent, I called her out on it.

"The phone has been ringing constantly. All that calling just to say you're coming up for the holidays? Couldn't you have spared the house that badgering and just... oh I dunno, texted me instead? I would of seen your text messages quicker at this rate."

I glared into the phone when I heard mom's laughter. Hmph. She found this amusing? I didn't think anything was cute about the situation.

"What's so funny?"

 _"Chloe, why don't you hang up with me and check the caller ID, hmm? Then you'll know why I'm laughing."_

Mom smoothly replied, still chuckling.

"Why can't you just tell me like a normal person?"

I gruffly spat out, trying to find the logic in mom's thinking.

 _"Again, I can't joke with you or surprise you, can I? Fine."_

Mom fell silent for a moment.

"Chloe, sweetie... this is the first time I've called your house today."

Mom explained, speaking slowly and treating me almost as if I was a little girl that was having troubling understanding something.

"Mom."

I arched an eyebrow, struggling to keep a cool profile.

"Are you telling me, since 7:00 AM when I first heard the phone ring, to right now, 4:00 PM, you never called here, only now?"

 _"Wait a minute. You've heard calls coming in since early this morning and you never attempted to answer them? And you're getting onto me for calling making a disturbance? Chloe Price I swear you are so lazy. I personally think it's ridiculous you, by yourself, couldn't have answered at least one of those calls."_

I rolled my eyes.

"Um, hello? There's two other people living here but one of them happens to be sick in the bed, like me. The only reason I got up is because Max asked and is helpless and Rachel's in the shower."

 _"I get that but still, one of you should of-"_

"I was trying to sleep and Max was doing the same! Whoever it was clearly couldn't take a hint and should've stopped a long time ago!"

I growled, my hating how she heard the irritation rise and then crack a few seconds later. How embarrassing. Here I was trying to rant and throw my edge around and thanks to this stupid flu virus, I just sounded like a pathetic squeaky toy.

 _"Calm down, I'm not trying to upset you, Chloe. Just make sure it wasn't anyone important before you go back to bed?"_

"Yeah 'alright. Sure. I really need to get off here my voice is about shot."

My eyes narrowed then I scoffed weakly at Mom's giggle.

"It's not funny..."

Knowing full well she found my high pitches adorable, I stomped my foot like a flustered child would do, nicely told her to shove it and hung up the phone.

"Chloe? What are you doing up?"

Clearing my throat, I stood up off the couch, clutching the phone in my hand and turned around. Rachel stood there half dressed, towel stretched across the back of her neck, hands on her hips and squinted her eyes at me.

"You okay? You look pale and if I'm going to be honest, like you want to punch something."

"Yeah. I'm okay. Just got off the phone with mom. Who's coming up for the holiday with David... evidently."

"Is that why you're really upset, though?"

Rachel stepped through the doorway and gradually made her way over to where I was standing. When she was directly in front of me, I bowed my head a little so I could look her in the eye. Rachel and I were almost the same height but I was just a tad hair taller, even if it was in inches.

"Well no."

I sighed, lifting the phone up where we both could see it.

"We got into a disagreement over this stupid thing. I accused her of not knowing how to take a hint and that it would of been more productive for her to text me or leave me a voicemail on my phone instead of calling hour on the hour then she told me, I had no right to harp onto her about such a thing if I didn't even attempt to answer one call... come to find out though, she only called once. So... yeah."

Rachel nodded and smiled, letting me know she understood.

"I see. Well, I suppose that's my bad. I know who's been calling here non-stop I just... didn't feel like dealing with them."

I chose to take this time to scan through the caller ID and wouldn't you know it, the Ambers were the culprits and... the Caulfields?

"Whoa."

I breathed, blinking a few times.

"Your parents have the most calls and the Caulfields called like, twice and it was three hours apart but your parents take the cake. What's up with that?"

I raised an eyebrow and glanced up at Rachel, wondering if she had some kind of explanation to give me. Instead of answering me right away, Rachel laughed and wrapped, slick, marble-cut arms around my waist. Giddy to me close to her like this, I sighed contently and used my own hands to cradle her head.

"It's not worth mentioning but since you asked..."

She gently dug her fingers into my sides and began to massage me as she continued to talk.

"They, rather my _father_ said he and my mother were coming up to visit us during the holidays and I vulgarly told him to _not_ to even think about it. I said I didn't mind him sending money every now and then or calling to check up on things but him physically in this house, with me, for the entire holiday? Even if he got a hotel he'd make it his mission to come over here and make my life miserable..."

Rachel mumbled, dropping her hands and putting them on her hips again.

"The one good thing I can say about my father is he's persistence. But trust me, it's not his best feature. I of course, let the phone ring when I saw that the calls were all from him and assumed any other calls today would be from my parents."

"Don't worry about it."

I whispered, letting go of her face and stepping back.

"I'm sure the Caulfields will get in touch with Max by cell but just in case they don't, I'll be sure to tell her they called. Now, if it's 'alright with you..."

I stretched my arms over my head and popped my neck before finally allowing the exhaustion to show on my face.

"I'm gonna go take my medicine and go back to sleep."

"Hey, do you want me to bring you something to eat first? You haven't eaten anything today."

Rachel asked, as if sensing my weary thoughts.

"Could you?"

Rachel grinned.

"Sure thing."

Reaching out, Rachel grabbed my wrists and tugged me back towards herself. I smiled slightly receiving a soft kiss on the cheek. Chuckling softly, I dipped my head and kissed her on the cheek.

"Why Amber?"

I asked, feeling her let my wrist go. Glancing down at it, I idly rubbed it then looked back up at Rachel's amused face.

"Because I can. Now go take your medicine and get in bed. I'll cook you something nice in the meantime."

Nodding, we went to the kitchen together. I took my medicine quickly and left her alone, desperate to return to my bed. Who would of thought walking from my bedroom, to the living and having a phone call with mother would stress me out so bad and drain every ounce of energy I had?


	7. Episode 7: Cheers 1 (Rachel Amber)

Come Thursday morning, I was feeling pretty good and I felt capable of going back to school. Or should I say, I was at the point where I physically felt stable enough to go back and stay awake to hear a lecture? Max and Chloe on the other hand, were still struggling to get their bearings, but despite their aches and complaints, they really were making better progress than I was when I first got sick. I estimated in a few more days, that they would be bouncing back before too much longer. I must admit though, I was impressed with Max's determination to attend her classes, despite being sick. What's even more astonishing, however it's working, ever since Victoria's party Max's panic attacks stopped. Like completely quit. Which is good because now Chloe and I could rest easier with Max comfortable and free of the mental stress she carries. If not all of it, a good chunk of it. All that's left is getting rid of our colds and flu viruses and things will be back to normal... hmm. Normal. That word sounds so distance anymore. We had been through so much in so many different alternate realities, what is "normal"? I can't speak for my roommates but for me personally, it's them. When we have to confront the curse or deal with things the average person does not, all I have to do is look into their eyes and I'm fine. There's probably other things or people who could do the same for me but Chloe and Max were enough right now. They probably always would be, even if something terrible happens in the future and the three of us are faced with difficult decisions they, without shadow of a doubt, are my reality. Such a typical, "It's not where you're at but who you're with." way of thinking but it works.

"Hey Rachel. It's nice to see you back. I missed having you around."

I closed out the eBook app I was reading on my iPhone for another class and gradually raised my head too see who was speaking to me.

"Hey Davis, what's up?"

Olivia Davis, young and beautiful, is a troubled soul born under an odd star but I've come to respect the woman over the course of time attending Los Angeles City College. She, like Chloe, has issues with her family, AKA the step-parent. Her biological father died in a hit and run a few years ago. Her step-father just so happens to be Dr. Brown, my care provider here in L.A, but sadly, Olivia refuses to take her step-father's last name even though her mother chose to take his last name when she married Dr. Brown. Davis to this present day, has never, and possibly will never accept Dr. Brown's name. Her mother gave up trying when Davis went to the court house and had her last name legally changed from "Brown" back to "Davis". She's an adult so yeah, Davis can do that but I think her mother was very offended by it because right after Davis did this, she got kicked out. Told me her mother said if she didn't want to be a part of her new life with Dr. Brown then she could go start a new life somewhere else and boom, just like that, Davis was cut off from funds and any moral support from them but Davis enjoys her freedom and has never gone back home, much to her mother and step-father's disappointment. Although Olivia is her first name, she has kindly asked everyone, professors included, to address her by her last name. I feel she does this as a way to remember who her real father is and takes pride as a Davis, as opposed to a Brown. I can understand that. Bold move on her end but hey, I can't deny how she's made such a powerful statement of her own that I find appealing and quite daring. If I had been in Davis's shoes, I so would of done the same thing if not something more extreme.

Currently, Davis lives by herself in a studio apartment downtown near some sick rave venues. From what I can tell she's getting by just fine without the support from her family. Davis has a job, owns a car that she slowly is paying off and is sailing through every single class she has... without aid from anyone. Chloe might learn a thing a two from Davis if they started hanging out more but I doubt Chloe will get motivated enough to do what Davis has done. She's lazy like that but then again, that's one the many reasons I love Chloe.

"Nothing much. I was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite to eat. We don't have class for another two hours, so I thought to ask you before heading out."

Huffing softly, Davis shifted her book bag over her shoulder.

"Or did you have plans to eat with someone else today?"

I gave her a sly grin then kindly put my iPhone away and stood up from my seat.

"Yeah. With Max as a matter of fact."

Her face dropped.

"Oh... I see."

She started to turn away and go off to be alone when I reached out and caught her wrist and wrapped my fingers firmly around it, forcing her to stop. Confused, Davis turned around, stared at her wrist for a few seconds then finally looked up at me with a light laugh.

"Okay, did I hear you wrong?"

She asked, tugging against my grip to tell me she wanted me to let go. I released Davis but I didn't allow her go anywhere.

"No, you heard me right. But instead of eating with Max, I thought just now, I see her all the time and live with her so really, I have no reason to not eat lunch with you. I just wanted to see if you'd help me find her?"

I finished with honest sincerity, rather proud of myself for being able to brush Max off without the second-nature tendency to flock to her. I swear, even when I don't want to be around Max or think about her, she's got me whipped so bad, that a part of me is always sensitive to her presence, to her needs, to her... everything, if that makes sense?

"Ah. In other words, you want to give her a heads up you'll be eating with me today? Why not just text her and tell her what you're doing? Wouldn't that save you a lot of trouble?"

"Yes."

I nodded, agreeing with her.

"If she would reply to my texts, then I wouldn't need to do this unnecessary labor."

Davis relaxed in her stance, a faint smile on her lips.

"I see. All right then. I'll help you, no biggie."

She conceded, glancing over her shoulder to see what time it was.

"It's 1:30 right now, you would know where she likes to hang out around this time, right? What am I looking for?"

There are three spots Max tends to be around this time of the day. I instructed Davis to check outside near the outdoor lounge area while I looked around the cafeteria. The only other location Max would go to eat her lunch, is the second floor of the building Davis and I were currently in. For whatever the reason, she enjoys the rowdiness of the classrooms on that floor. Truthfully, I think it's because Justin, Trevor, Daniel and Warren are up there and being around them, Blackwell guys of all things, reminds her of home. If not that, gives her a sense of comfort. The cafeteria was a common ground for most students. Usually when Max has a lot of classes on certain days, she'll eat in the cafeteria but I know for a fact she didn't have a busy schedule today so naturally, I didn't bother making a trip across campus to see if she was there and started to make my way up the stairs to snoop around on the second floor. Five steps up, I got a text from Davis, telling me Max was not where I said she would be. I wouldn't mind that. You know, Davis not being able to find Max only I also failed to find her. I didn't panic. Not yet. There was the cafeteria after all so, for better or for worse I headed in that direction and told Davis I'd meet her at her car once I was done. Suddenly, out of nowhere, my iPhone vibrated like crazy. Thinking it was a friend from school, Davis who might of found Max, Chloe to drop a friendly line or Max herself, I pulled the object out of my pocket, wondering who it could possibly be. Low and behold, it was Max and she was going to eat lunch with Victoria today in the school cafeteria. Hmm, well even though I knew where Max was, I still wanted to let her know I would be chilling with Davis for my lunch break, just in case she needed me. Ironically enough, Davis called me right after I sent my reply to Max and had to bail out. Evidently, her mom needed her to come to her house straight away and she couldn't get out of it so we regrettably had no choice but to reschedule and make plans to eat out another time.

Now I was a free agent and since I had nothing better to do, I decided to go join Max in the cafeteria and see what she was up to. When I turned around the corner and stepped into the nosy dinning hall I froze. Max was nowhere to be found. Confused at this, I scanned the tables, hoping to see her chilling at one of them, but all I saw were jocks, divas and maybe a few nerd groups playing Magic at their tables. Spotting me coming through doorway entrance, Stella reached over and tapped Victoria on the shoulder. Instantly, Victoria snapped her head up and leveled her gaze with me. As if we could sense what the other was feeling, I can nicely say Victoria didn't give me a death glare but instead, put her phone down, got up from her seat and started towards me in a peaceful, friendly manner. I decided I could be nice and meet her half way. If Victoria was willingly seeking my attention I was pretty sure it dealt with Max. As far as Victoria and I went, we were barely friends and probably would remain dull and distant with each other unless a dire emergency happens. Ever since I brought her to the studio to find out what was going on with my roommates, I'll admit my opinion of Victoria has changed a little bit, but that's only because she chose to let everything go for Max's sake in the end and in turn, sacrifice the opportunity to be reunited with her parents. That and she did help comfort Max when she had a massive emotional break down on the couch. The one time Chloe and I were at peace with Victoria for all the right reasons and I seriously doubt the four us would have another moment like that. Granted I haven't exactly gone out of my way to try and better my relationship with Victoria and for the record, neither has she unless you include our awkward encounters at school. And even then it was hard for me to accept her. Victoria was just as uncomfortable, I could tell. She had taken to minor mood swings around me when Max wasn't looking of course, sometimes "open" to be near me with Max present, other times avoiding me like I was the curse itself, ill regardless if Max was beside me or not. Honestly, the whole procedure was frustrating just as much as it was exhausting.

"So, she's not with you either. Lovely."

Hearing Victoria say this as we neared each other on top of her worried expression, made me ill to my stomach. The rise of panic swelled in my chest, rivaling Victoria's own flustered appearance. As if knowing I needed to sit down and think things through, Victoria used her eyes to motion at me. It didn't take long to see that she wanted me to follow her back to her table, so I politely kept a cool profile, went over to her table and deliberately ignored the nervous stares from her followers and made sure to sit directly across from Victoria so she too, understood that I was not there to socialize with them, but to discuss bid-ness about Max and Max only.

"So, where is she Victoria?"

I asked, drumming my fingers on the table and enjoying how the rat-tat-tat of my pedicured nails highlighted my impatience towards the situation and in the same breath, made the other girls shift uneasily around in their seats. Pressing her lips firmly together, Victoria arched an eyebrow, insulted that I had asked her such a thing.

"You know her a lot better than I do, shouldn't you already know the answer to that question, Rachel?"

I forced a sweet smile on my face, already feeling myself starting to loose my temper.

"Funny. I thought for sure you might have a idea where she might be. After all, you are getting close to her. You guys might of found some new spots that I wouldn't know anything about because I'm respecting her choice to be with you. Better that way otherwise someone might get hurt. You've heard the law of two alphas in the same room when omegas are involved, right Chase? Especially during mating season."

Victoria's eyes narrowed at the remark and if looks could kill, we'd both be dead.

"Maybe I want someone to get hurt Amber."

Hmm, one could argue Victoria was merely complimenting my "playful" metaphors with a comeback of her own. Or it could be taken as a direct challenge... oh please let it be a challenge.

"Wait, Rachel are you implying that you're fighting Vi over Max to see who can dominate her physically?"

Taylor trailed off, did a double take and glanced between me and her ever so fearless leader.

"Wait, wait."

Taylor pointed at me, then at Victoria.

"I thought you guys were just friends? When and where did this next level happen and why wasn't I there to Tweet it?"

Annoyed, Victoria and I snapped our heads over and yelled at Taylor for A, putting herself in a conversation that did not concern her and B, because she couldn't read between the lines and realize I was using animal metaphors to paint a picture of what Max, Victoria and I tend to do when we're in the same room with each other and how it does literally seem like we will fight each other for Max's attention, the same exact way male animals fight to win a female's attention before they mate. Only, Victoria and I are not intending to beat each other so we can lay with Max and by the time Victoria and I were done tearing into her, she sulked back in her seat and was red in the face from embarrassment. Courtney, Dana, Stella, Brooke and Kate kept quiet the entire time Victoria and I continued to banter with each other. I could tell they were trying to keep their own concerns masked but unlike Victoria who was making it obvious with each passing argument we had, theirs was actually subtle.

"We're getting no where fighting like this."

Victoria sighed and did a rather bold move. She leaned in real close and lowered her voice so the others wouldn't hear her.

"I don't want rat on Max, where she asked me to keep this on the DL, but there's something you should know. Max did text me, earlier. Long before lunch period... said she was going to go investigate her secret admirer, but I didn't think it would take her this long to do it. Now, I remember her telling me a few days ago she planned to confront whoever it is in person at some point during the week... I guess today, is that day."

"What?"

I breathed, surprised by the words.

"How long has this-"

"She's been getting letters in her locker from someone well over a month now but she has no clue who it could be. And no, it's not Warren or any of the guys from Blackwell. It's someone from this school though, that much she gets but she didn't want to say anything to you or Chloe, because she feared you guys would kill whoever it was. She told me, yes but please don't think she favored me over you and Chloe. I personally think Max just wanted to handle it on her own, without making a big fuss over it."

Blinking rapidly, I leaned back, putting some distance between our faces.

"Okay, I can understand that but that's no excuse to lie to me or to you."

This time, it was Victoria who looked lost and unsure of what to do. Frowning, she eased back and got comfortable again in her seat.

"How did she lie to me? Better yet, how has she lied to us?"

Hiking my thumb over my shoulder, I dryly remarked in a matter-of-fact voice,

"Prior to coming over here, Max texted me and said she was eating lunch with you today."

I glanced down at Victoria's phone then back up at her.

"But from what you're telling me, she's not with you because she's meeting some secret admirer but... you're concerned because her text to you, was a while back and she has yet to make an appearance."

I sighed and moved my fingers across the table again. I was definitively in full scale panic mode now.

"Maybe we should split up and go look for her?"

Dana's suggestion was nice and all, but I wanted to look into this personally. Alone.

"Thanks for the offer. But I got this. If I need back up I'll be sure to contact you guys."

Said I, who shifted uncomfortably in my seat and felt the blood drain from face and my chest swell up for the second time that day.

"Are you sure you'll be okay Rachel?"

Kate asked, looking at me with worried eyes. In fact, all the girls were staring at me, excluding Victoria who had gotten up to go by herself a juice box from the vendor up front.

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

I quickly answered, standing up and breaking away from the table and away from the lot of them. No offense to either of the girls but I'd rather search for Max by myself. If push came to shove and I wound up needing help, then and only then would I text Victoria and ask her to come find me.

If I was a secret admirer and wanted to keep Max all to myself, where would I go?

So focused was on trying to figure out a location point, I missed the group of boys sitting on the couches in the hallway, laughing about how Dutch had poor taste in women and must of been desperate to force a geek to his car to "get some". Stopping dead in my tracks, I slowly turned my head and studied the small group, wondering if I had heard them correctly. For the record, I was positive I did but just to make sure, I turned around in their general direction stood there with my arms crossed, off to the side near a water fountain and continued to listen in on their conversation.

"I mean who would want to taste that? Sure she's cute enough but I think he's just desperate at this point because none of the girls in his league are willing to sleep with him."

I peered closer at the one who said this just now, waiting for him to say a name that would confirm my suspicions.

"I mean he knocked her out and everything and these pics he's sending, leave little room for the imagination."

Okay. That did it. Now I knew they were talking about Max. The idea, that these punks were praising Dutch for kidnapping, yes, kidnapping my roommate and then dissing her because she didn't match the quota of their ideal girl, really pissed me off. Max is not a piece of meat. I am. And I have no problem letting these kinds of stereo typical pigs get a lick at my juicy insides and get a run for their money. Max on the other hand is off limits. At least Warren respects Max's body and loves her for her, not for what she looks like!

"Hey!"

I barked, silencing their cocky laughter on the spot. Taking advantage of their confused state, I marched right over to them and grabbed the guy who was spewing all that crap out of his seat by the collar of his letter man jacket with both hands. Snarling, I roughly tugged him closer to me and smoothly interjected in a cutting, cold voice,

"You have ten seconds to tell me where Dutch parked his car."

I leaned in and firmly smashed my forehead into his, making it a point to leave a bruise. Feeling the jock wince against my skin and struggle against my hold, pleased me and I tightened my grip, forcing him to look at me. Can I just say I love how this boy's eyes widened and I visibly saw him gulp?

"If you fail to do this by the time I reach ten, I will personally rip out your eyes, then shove them down your throat, so you can watch me tear your pathetic carcus open with my own bare hands."

Heavy threat that could get me in trouble with the school, possibly the law. Pfft. I didn't care. Max was worth it.

"One... two..."

With each passing word that fell from my mouth, the other boys sitting around did themselves a favor and grabbed their belongings and took off, leaving their pal behind. I guess seeing his friends leave him for dead, was enough to make him crack because he opened his mouth, more than ready to confess what he knew.

"Around back near the smoking area!"

I stopped counting, let him go and immediately stormed off in that direction. I don't know what possessed Dutch to do this. His romantic interest in Max was not the issue. Feeling he had apply force in his advancements towards her, was my issue and the second I found him, I was going to make him wish he was just a twinkle in his parents eyes.

* * *

Sure enough the information was legit and I found Dutch by his Jeep Wrangler, parked directly behind the benches by the smoking zone. The door was wide open and poor Max was laying down across the seat, out cold and Dutch was just standing there beside the door, leaning against it and playing on his iPhone. I could tell even from far away, that Max's clothes were still in tact, but I couldn't help but wonder, if I hadn't come looking for her would Dutch really have...?

Not even wanting to go there and entertain such thoughts, I shook my head a few times, trying to block out the unpleasant images of Dutch forcing himself upon Max like that.

No, surely he's not that stupid. I mean, come on, if he's going to be foolish enough to do it on school property at least do it in a place where no one could see it... or hear it, for that matter.

Slotting my eyes, I opened my mouth and yelled over at Dutch, intending to start a physical fight with him right there in the middle of the parking lot. I was that mad and at this point, I needed to let out my frustration. Messing up his flawless pretty face was a good place to start.

"Hey Dutch! You and me, let's go big boy! Right now!"

I roared as loud as I could, knowing that I was going to draw the attention of onlookers as I continued my hot pursuit towards his car. The most I heard was startled cries and hushed whisperers but thankfully, none of the students who did stop to gawk, stuck around to see out how things would turn out. Most people at the college who know us, understand that Dutch and me in the same place, at the same time is a recipe for disaster, an atomic bomb ready to go if pushed. Outside of irritation, we get along fine. Him posing as Max and sending texts messages to my iPhone and keeping Max knocked out in his car, for whatever his reasons, counts as being pushed in my book.

"How dare you do this! And here I thought Blackwell had issues with its stalkers."

Dutch put his iPhone away and gave me a smug, proud smile. The kind that says they're up to no good and don't mind getting "caught". Again, this guy is giving me more reasons to knock his lights out.

"Blast. Looks like I've been sniffed out. And if you're going to point fingers and accuse me of being Max's stalker, you're way more dense than I thought."

I frowned, insulted at the degrading comment. Choosing to let that go, I walked right up to him and stood directly in front of the door. Being so close to him, I was able to take in the surroundings. I saw Max for myself and no, it didn't help that she was passed out and he had a instant camera dangling around his neck. This kind of scene, clear down to how it was rubbing off and forcing its presence on me, put me in a dark, foul mood. I knew... Dutch wasn't Mark Jefferson and what he was doing didn't hold a candle stick to what Mark had been capable of and that Dutch's reasons for taking Max, was strictly for sport but it didn't sit well with me. At all.

"Don't you see Rachel?"

Dutch sneered, putting on his best charming smile.

"I did all of this-"

Dutch used his index finger and wagged it between us.

"To get to you. To get your attention."

Dutch stuffed his hands in his pockets and watched me with great interest. I just stood, staring at him with mixed feelings and a very unhappy expressions on my face.

"You lost me babe."

I half lied. I had a good idea what Dutch was referring to, but just to make sure, I led him on to think I was lost so he might enlighten me.

"Need me to spell it out for you Amber?"

Dutch stepped in, but I took a defined step back. Not because I was scared of him. It was for his own personal safety. It wasn't a good idea for him to be standing so close to me. Not with the tension in the air and defiantly not with Max in his car, the one thing that would set me off the second I suspected he had ill intentions with her so yeah, I kept my distance. That didn't stop Dutch from trying again. Irritated, I let him come closer and decided he would simply make it easier for me to attack him. That is to say, if he gave me a good reason, outside of kidnapping Max, that is.

"Max was the bait in all of this. But I had to make it look realistic. So I paid someone to compose letters for me. And I gotta say, they did a great job at making the words wholesome, believable... you know, like real romantic feelings and junk. It messed with Max's head. Before you ask how I know, well I was there in secret waiting for her to open her locker and read the letters. When I was sure she was going to confront the sender, I was finally able to make my move. Luring her out here and knocking her out with the spray was way too easy."

I froze and all at once time stood still. Hearing Dutch unveil his plans clicked inside my head and I finally understood what Dutch was trying to do here and it made my anger rise to a whole new level of hatred towards him. Dutch Regis is shallow, self-centered and vain. So desperate is he to get in my pants, that he restored to getting Max's hopes up, forced her into all of this and then uses her as he said, as bait, to get me out here, alone... all so he can express his lustful desires to bed me? I raised an eyebrow and grinned and he mistook this as a sign of success or possibly, a invitation for him to claim his prize. I literally waited for him to lean down to kiss me just so I could disappoint him.

"In other words Dutch. You knew trying to get my attention alone was futile so you used my soulmate, screwed with her feelings, got her all confused and worked up, then knocked her out and kept her all to yourself, knowing I would come looking for her. In hope that I would notice you, right?"

My steel cool gaze settled on him, hard and piercing and Dutch actually moved his face away from mine, disliking the dangerous smirk I was giving him.

"Right?"

I repeated seductively while making it a point to graze his face with my thumb.

"Y-Yes. That's right. It's not like I'd ever chase someone as ugly and low rate like her. You were my focus Rachel. Always have been, always will be."

Dutch swallowed a lump in his throat and struggled to not show his fear. I kept stroking him and staring into his eyes, waiting for the right moment to unleash my fury on him.

"So will you have sex with me or what?"

I stopped petting him but kept my hand on the side of his face. This was it. This was what I was waiting for.

"Will I have sex with you? Let me think about that."

I lowered my hand and slowly made it into a fist.

"No."

I replied after a long, drawn out moment, instantly feeling my anger rush back but this time, I let it take over my senses completely.

"And now, I'm going to give you what you rightfully deserve Dutch."

Realizing what was about to happen, Dutch slowly backed away from me, leering at me with hateful eyes that widened a few seconds later when he saw me turn sharply away from him to seize one of the small table under my hands. I lifted the table, ignored the ash trays that tipped and rolled to the ground and by applying the right amount of strength, I raised the table over my head with both arms. Dutch tried to make a break for it but not before I launched the table and sent it sailing right at him. The table spun in the air, like a projectile and made perfect contact with Dutch's backside, sending Dutch forward and crashing into the open door of his car. The loud, shocking noise from the impact caused a few people to turn at the scene. Stunned, they glanced between me and Dutch but like the people from earlier, quickly removed themselves and did their best not to stare or get in the middle of it. Groaning in pain, Dutch staggered to his feet and grabbed at his lower back and took a moment to inspect the damage. His car door was dented and the window was cracked in several places. He stared at the table that had skidded off to the side then back at me in disbelief.

"You threw a table at me?"

He snarled, forcing himself to walk properly towards me, no longer afraid of what I might do but determined to return the favor. Scoffing, I raised an eyebrow, my face red with rage. I didn't reply to him, I simply waited for him to come closer and meet in with his so called might and valor.

"You idiot!"

Dutch raised his fists.

"Forget the sex! I'm going to destroy you!"

Dutch lunged himself at me and once he was in range, I slammed my fist against his mouth, catching his lip and front teeth against my knuckles. Dutch's head snapped back and he stumbled a few feet away from me. Grunting, he touched his lip and studied the blood on his fingertips, shocked. Spitting a tooth out and wiping his chin, wouldn't you know it the idiot tried to hit me again. Rolling my eyes, I avoided his strike and upper cut him under the chin. He fell down, cursing me the whole time. At that moment, I heard Max moan and call out to me. Forgetting that Dutch and I were in the middle of a brawl, I stepped around him and poked my head into the jeep. I sighed, relieved that she had regained consciousness and appeared to be okay.

"R-Rachel? What... What happened? Where am I?"

I stretched my arm out and had just enough time to gently caress her face before Dutch rudely interrupted us with his cry of anger. Looking over my shoulder, my eyes widened. Dutch was back on his feet and charging right at me. Max gasped seeing me get tackled into the door, then tossed onto the table a few feet away from the car. Not even close to being done with him, Dutch and I violently wrestled on the table. He got a few hits in and tried to pin me down until I brought the heel of my hand upwards and smashed them into his nose. I grinned, relishing in the feeling the cartilage crushing against my hand. Dutch eased up, howled in pain and I took advantage of his dazed state. With little effort, I kicked against his chest, bucking him off of me and watching as he tumbled off the table and back down to the ground for the third time today.

"You broke my nose!"

Dutch grabbed his nose, but little good it did. Blood was rushing from the nostrils and running down his chin and staining his shirt.

"Don't mess with my friends Dutch. Stay away from me and if you know what's good for you, stay away from Max!"

I snarled, rolling off the table and landing flawlessly on my feet. By this point, Max was wide awake and out of his car. She hustled over to me and took me by the hand, silently begging me to stop hurting him and to walk away with her. Max couldn't of had better timing. There, out of the corner of my eye I saw four campus patrol officers running towards us. Not in the mood to explain any of this, I raised the arm that contained my time power and fast forward and didn't stop until Max and I were safely back at the studio. I saw the events of course, all were stressful and very drawn out. First, Max and I found the Blackwell girls and Victoria and explained what had happened. From there, we went straight to the Academic Dean's office and reported Dutch before he could report us, showed him the cell phone texts message hoping it would work as proof. After talking to the Academic Dean, lunch break was over and we had to go our separate ways until our last classes, then finally, we drove home and had the pleasure of telling everything all over again to Chloe. Fast forwarding time really comes in handy when you want to skip over such bothersome things but it did take its toll on my body. Mainly my eyes. It strains them bad and makes my vision painfully blurry. The only way to fix this, is going to bed so I wound up lying down because of the stress on my eyes. Several hours later, I woke up from a heavy sleep, shocked to see that it was already dark. I sat up in the bed, stretched my sore muscles and decided I'd go to the bathroom and take a hot shower, thinking it might wake me up. It did and didn't. Overall, I wasn't used to using my power at full capacity in this reality and it would take some time to balance everything but that was a given from the start.

"Rachel?"

Max knocked on the bathroom door, drawing my attention instantly. Eager to see her, I turned off the water, I stepped out of the shower and grabbed the towel on the rack.

"Yes Max?"

"When you're dressed can we talk? You know about... what happened earlier today?"

Chuckling, I briskly sauntered over to the door and opened it, startling her. Grinning, I wrapped my wet arms around Max's small frame and buried my face in her hair. Taking a deep breath, I inhaled Max's scent, loving how it flooded my senses and etched me on to smother her with my love for her. I leaned out of Max's hair, quickly wrapped the towel around my upper body then hugged her from behind. Releasing a dreamy sigh, I rested my chin on her shoulder and closed my eyes and gently swayed us from side to side. My eyes fluttered opened feeling her twist around in my arms. Grinning, she pawed cutely at my face. I nipped at her hands, playfully sinking my teeth into the skin and tugging on it every now and then.

"Oh Rachel, have you no shame? You're naked in a towel and getting me all wet."

"Mmm-hmm. I sure am. Shame on me for soaking you."

I remarked with a light laugh, completely ignoring Max's feeble attempts to push me away. She finally gave up and just went limp, in my arms, surrendering to me. Smiling, I dipped my head and pecked on the cheek as I slid my hands up and down her sides. She giggled and I did too.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

I asked, gradually turning her around in my arms. She glanced up at me and instantly, our features softened as we studied each other.

"You have to stop getting beat up over me Rachel. It doesn't make me feel good."

Leaning back in, I gently bumped my forehead into hers.

"I'll stop getting into fights when people learn to treat you with respect and acknowledge you're an important factor of my life."

Stepping back, I let Max go and resumed my drying off.

"Next week is Thanksgiving."

Max changed the topic, shying away from the real reason she wanted to chat in the first place. I was okay with that. In the end, I'd win the argument anyway and she knew that.

"Yeah?"

I answered, keeping my back to her as I ran the towel down my arm one last time to collect some droplets.

"So what? You think we're gonna die on Chloe again?"

Max's silence spoke louder than words. Taking pity on her frailness, I wrapped myself up and covered my nudity once again. Sighing, I turned around and motioned for her to follow me out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

"Max you have to stop worrying about that. We're here, in this reality and we're fine. So we got sick, but it was a normal kind of sickness. Nothing abnormal about it. We took our medicine, slept it off and now we're okay. Sure it took a while to get over it but we're healthy. Even your panic attacks even stopped. You're sleeping better now than you've done in all the realities you've lived in."

Hearing Max about to say something, I silenced her with my stern eyes.

"Even if for some reason we do wind up dying again... we can die happy can't we? We've come so far since the first trial run... I don't have any regrets about what's happened, neither does Chloe. So, why are you hesitating?"

I told Max this as I finished putting lotion on myself and was in the process of getting ready to dress myself. She sat on the bed and listened to me, nodding here and there to let me know she was listening.

"Now."

I sighed, fully dressed and ready to walk around the house modestly.

"Let's go to the kitchen. I'm starving."

Nodding, Max slid off the bed and came over to me and did something so precious and adorable, I actually felt myself flush from happiness. She reached out to me, similar to that of child and waved her arms around to emphasize what she wanted. Still blushing, I brushed a wet, loose strand of hair behind my ear and coley walked into her embrace. She squeezed me gently at first, then clung to me as if her life depend on it. Whimpering softly, she hid her face in the pit of my neck and let out a contented sigh.

"I... I guess I worry because I really don't want what we have to go away, even in death. I love you that much, Rachel. I love what we have that much and I don't want to lose it or start over because we get sent to another reality."

My features softened at the comment and instinctively, found myself swaying us to an invisible beat and gently moving us from side to side. Without even realizing it, Max and I started to reenact the dance steps to Cold War, right there in the middle of my bedroom. We did the entire dance, step by step without missing a single mark. By the time it dawned on us what we had done, we found ourselves in the ending stance. She was holding me, low to the ground and my leg was wrapped firmly around her waist. At first, we just stared at each other, unsure of how we went from talking about the curse, holding onto each other in the silence, to performing our dance number from the alternate reality. I was impressed that we transitioned into the dance so well and even more so at how flawless it was despite not practicing it before hand.

"Um. So that happened."

Max muttered, offering me a shy grin.

"Yeah. It did. I uh... don't know what came over me."

Clearing her throat, Max looked up at the ceiling and contemplated, but continued to keep me in the pose without breaking a sweat.

"Me either. Not that I'm complaining."

Max lowered her eyes and caught my stare.

"It was relaxing to dance like that with you again. Brought back memories. At least this time I didn't screw up and step on you or forget when to turn or how to catch."

We had no reason to be embarrassed, but we were and blushed because of it and bashfully looked away from each other. Several seconds later, we closed our eyes and laughed softly at ourselves and at our silliness to do such a thing in my bedroom.

"Come on Rachel. Let's go eat with Chloe before she comes in here and demands to know why we haven't joined her."

Max mused gently, letting go and helping me straighten out. Afterwards, I opened the bedroom door and we stepped outside and into the living room and briskly started for the kitchen.

"Hey."

I whispered, wrapping one arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer into me.

"Hmm?"

Max lifted her eyes to look at me.

"Whatever happens after Thanksgiving, whatever awaits us in the future in general, for better or for worse, we'll face it-"

"Together."

She completed my sentence and ever so gently, raised her hand and cupped my face. Easing up on her toes, she kissed me on the forehead. I grinned, enjoying the attention.

"Aww, c'mere you!"

My arm still around her, I lowered my head and returned gesture before breaking away to take my seat beside Chloe at the table.

* * *

Exactly one month and twenty three days later, Max and I were still alive and well. I didn't rub anything in and I didn't go out of my way to remind her about anything we had discussed previously. I just wanted to focus on the now and push back all the unpleasant memories of failed alternate realities and build new, better memories with Max and Chloe as they were in this reality. I was convinced nothing could ruin this moment I was experiencing on a snowy, lazy Sunday afternoon tucked between them on the middle of the couch with my head tilted against Chloe's and Max's against mine. Even though Christmas wasn't for another two days, we exchanged gifts early. Chloe was too anxious, Max didn't really care when we did it and I just wanted it over with. I'm not really a festive person. Parties, raves, pole dancing, kinky sex with random people? Sure, sock it to me all day every day all night long but getting all revved up for holiday events? Nah, not my thing so we just opened our gifts, thanked each other, ordered in, ate to our fill and now we're relaxing in the silence with each other and I personally couldn't ask for a better outcome. Just as I was slipping into a deeper sleep, the intrusion of arguing voices outside the door jerked us awake. At first, we stayed put and listened to the voices that were gradually getting louder and tried to discern what was happening. From the sound of things, there was a disagreement and misunderstanding.

"Their car is right there! They're in there, they're just ignoring us and I demand to know why!"

I stiffened and held my breath, instantly recognizing the deeper voice right away.

"Oh no."

I breathed, standing up in motion with Max and Chloe.

"I told them to not come."

Max and Chloe snapped their heads around. Not to gawk at me but to look at each other with wide eyes and point their fingers at one another.

"I totally forgot to tell you!"

They softly exclaimed, then set their sights on me. Feeling their stares, I glanced between the two of them and slowly put together what was happening.

"Let me guess?"

I whispered, not particularly wanting to draw the attention of the people outside.

"You got a phone call or text from your parents well over a month ago and based on that, you were informed that your parents made plans with you to come up and visit for the holidays, right?"

I received slow nods from them both. As soon as I opened my mouth to confess my own error in this, the door lock unlatched and the door was bashed open by Aunt Clare. She stood in the middle beside my parents and the Prices, along with the Caulfields off to the right, all with their arms crossed and looking like they wanted to strangle us kids. With the door wide open, they could look directly into the studio and see where the three of us were standing awkwardly in front of the couch. For the longest time the adults, Aunt Clare included, glowered at us with their disapproval and we stared right back, too shocked by everything that was happening to do much of anything else.

"Rachel Scarlett Amber!"

"Chloe Elizabeth Price!"

"Maxine Andrea Caulfield!"

Our parents roared, breaking the tension instantly. The three of us all cringed in place at the same time hearing our names and we nervously exchange troubled glances with each other.

"Neither of you came to the airport to receive us. We called you over and over but no one picked up the phone. And since you preferred to be contacted by your cell, that's what I did. I texted you, called you, left voicemail but you didn't answer. Care to explain that one?"

Joyce argued, pointing a scolding finger directly at Chloe, who flinched and looked very ashamed of herself for the first time in a while. Max and I cast Chloe quick apologetic looks for we both knew what was coming to her and sure enough, Joyce tore into her. By the time she was done, Chloe was physically sweating and if you looked at her chest close enough, you could see her breathing rapidly, practically on the verge of hyperventilating.

"I'm sorry mom! I don't have a good excuse for the phone. It died hours ago and I just let it go and got distracted with other things."

Chloe rubbed at the back of her head guiltily.

"And I kinda, sorta, forgot that you all were coming up..."

"You forgot?!"

Joyce and David quipped back to her and she winced again, cowering slightly beside me.

"Clare just so happened to be at the air port to pick up her sister."

Vanessa spoke up now, turning fiery eyes on her daughter. Max swallowed hard and began to shift her hands restlessly behind her back.

"What's your excuse young lady? You knew we were coming, you even told me you were going to mark your calendar."

"Yeah about that..."

Max trailed off and deliberately bowed her head to avoid the piercing stare from her parents.

"I was really sleepy and sick when you called. I may of said that to pacify you at the time and meant to get up and write it down but I... forgot. And before you ask, I had to send to my smartphone to a local repair shop downtown. Screen cracked on me and there's something wrong with the speaker box so... I couldn't return calls even if I wanted to."

"I'm not even asking you Rachel what went wrong on your end. But what about the home phone? Surely you three heard it ringing? I called twice, your father called at least a dozen times and during the ride over here, I saw the Prices and the Caulfields take turns calling... I'm curious, what happened there?"

Aunt Clare asked, putting herself in the conversation and looking quite annoyed with the situation. Pressing my lips together, I shyly glanced off and lamely remarked,

"Would you buy us just getting home a bit ago after spending the whole day in town with some friends and after coming home, decided we didn't want to be disturbed so I... unplugged the phone line?"

Craning my neck around to see how they were going to take the news, arched an eyebrow and searched their angry faces, not surprised that Ryan, David and my father glared at me the hardest.

"For all the praise Maxine gives your daughter James, I'm sorry. I'm not impressed with her right now. Who does that? Especially during the holiday season? No wonder Max didn't think to come pick us up when her influence teaches her to ignore important things in life, like a active phone line that allows people to get in touch with you..."

Max snapped her head up and shot her father a dirty look. She clearly took offensive to the comment and wanted to say something but Chloe and I reached out and caught her by the arm and forced her to stand still.

"All right. I'm going to nod and pretend today didn't even happen."

Aunt Clare muttered, giving me one last frown of disappointment before turning around and walking down the snow covered pathway to her SUV.

"They're in your hands now sis. Enjoy them."

With that, Aunt Clare got in her car sped off rather aggressively. Oh man... she was so mad. Actually, all the adults were and it didn't look things were going to cool down anytime soon.

"At least let us come in and figure out where we're sleeping?"

At that, I gawked at my parents and within seconds, I felt all the blood drain from my face. I can safely say if it wasn't for Max and Chloe standing next to me I would of collapsed from shock. Noting my reaction, my father frowned as he snatched up his suitcase.

"What's with that look, O daughter of mine? You didn't think we came all this way just to reserve rooms at a hotel did you? Please. We're far too high class for any of the hotels around here, even the fancy ones."

My mouth was dry, words would not come and I had no way to stop him or mother from ruining my life. They were here and they were staying for God knows how long so regrettably, as much as I didn't want to, I had no choice but to back up inside with Max and Chloe and let him and mother come into our haven. Shortly after they came in, the Prices and Caulfields entered the studio, still upset and looking quite upset at us kids every so often.

"You didn't even decorate?"

Why? Why was that the first thing Joyce wanted to point out about the place? Why couldn't they have commented on Max's framed photos hanging over the fireplace or how nice the studio was in general? Better yet, how clean we kept the place? Especially Chloe's room. Joyce, of all people should know how messy the girl can be. But even I have been impressed with how tidy she keeps her room but was that ever brought up in the conversation? Hell no. It was always something we lacked or failed to add.

"I'm with Joyce on this one. You don't even have a Christmas tree up."

Vanessa grumbled, helping herself to Max's room and despite that it was clean, she found plenty of things to nit pick about it. Already feeling the pressure building, Max sighed and gave me and Chloe the, "Save me." look but all we could do was stand there and silently mouth we were sorry and suffer with her.

"Maxine, aren't you looking a little soft around the edges?"

Ryan asked, cocking his head curiously in his daughter's direction.

"What? Dad really?"

Max, red in the face from embarrassment glanced down at herself, then back up at her father with bitter eyes.

"So what? Are you going to jump me for that too?"

Ryan stroked his beard thoughtfully, studying Max in silence for a moment. Aggravated with him, Max pouted and glanced in the opposite direction. I wasn't in support of what Ryan was doing but to his credit, all he did was point out the obvious. Yes, Max has gained some weight, a small growth if you will but it didn't take away from her appearance. She worked out with Chloe at the gym and went on early jogs sometimes when she was feeling really energized but despite all these active things going for her, she still got a small gut and she was okay with that. Told me and Chloe both herself one night a few weeks back but again, it wasn't huge or nasty looking it just was as it was. Figures that her old man wanted to talk about a sensitive, known womanly issue. You'd think, he or Vanessa would say something about her hair being longer in a nice ponytail or how she was wearing a tank top and had her arms exposed that had her tattoos. But no. What did Ryan attack? Her figure.

"A little meat on you doesn't look bad."

Ryan finally admitted, giving Max a wry grin.

"You've always been so thin and I worried you might not be eating enough here in L.A., so no, I'm not going to say anything bad about it."

Ryan hesitated. Knowing something was about to come, Max snapped her head back and around, narrowed her eyes and dared him through her body language to say it.

"But if you start to look like those helpless cases on TV, I'm going to get on you."

Appalled that he would even assume Max would let herself go to that extent, she stormed away and went straight into her room and removed herself from the conversation.

"Don't talk me..."

She was referring to her father, of course but before Ryan or anyone else could say anything, Max slammed the bedroom door behind her so hard and created such a loud noise, it made everyone grimace.

"Way to go Mr. Caulfield."

Chloe muttered, regaining some pride as a member of this household and deciding now would be a good time to dismiss herself so she could go check on Max.

"I didn't mean to upset her."

Chloe glared at him over her shoulder then looked straight ahead at Max's door.

"Well you did."

Making a clenched fist, Chloe knocked on the door, patiently waiting for permission to go inside. I, along with the adults watched Chloe cautiously call out Max's name and knock a few more times. Hearing that it was Chloe beckoning to her, Max gave her permission to enter. When Chloe was safely out of sight, I calmly turned my head and addressed the Price's and Ryan with the utmost authority in my voice. I wished Vanessa was in the living room so she could hear what it was I was about to say, but she had occupied herself with the kitchen. I heard her complaining about something else we had done wrong and instantly wondered what on earth it could be. If I had to guess, may be the garbage that was left unattended in the trash can? Or the sink full of dirty dishes perhaps? I couldn't be sure I just knew she was softly uttering her dislike about something and it was making me more irritable.

"Look."

I mumbled, raising my hands up in defense.

"I'm sorry we failed to pick you all up and that we forgot you were coming. So let's let bygones be bygones and try to enjoy what's left of-"

Hearing a loud thud of some kind come from my room, I pivoted on my foot, left the other adults hanging and went into my own room to see what had happened. Poking my head in, I located the source of the noise. My parents had taken two of the drawers out of my dresser and tossed them to the side so they could fill the empty space with their clothes. Seeing this, I became angry and all at once, I remembered something I had told my parents... something that should of been acknowledged but clearly was overlooked and not taken seriously.

"As much as I want to apologize for failing your expectations, you can forget it!"

My mother and father paused in the mist of their activity and faced me, confused by my outburst and even more so by my sudden rise in aggression toward them. Scowling, they lifted their eyes and watched me come into my own bedroom and angrily make my way over to where they were standing. Tipping my head back just slightly, I stared at them not in warmth, or invitation but with great offensive, topped with hatred.

"Didn't I tell you not to come up here?! Why?!"

I shouted, throwing my arms up in exasperation.

"Why do you always do these things when you know I don't want to have anything to do with either of you! You had your chances to make up for the wrong you've done me and you both blew it so stop acting like you have the right to come into my life and be the mommy and daddy I needed ten years ago!"

All that yelling did, was create a chain reaction. I say chain reaction because no sooner after I go into it with my folks, I distinctly heard Chloe and David flare up over something and right after they blew up at each other, Max went back and forth between her father and her mother. And it went on like this for at least an hour if not more. Just constant bickering, on and off and whole lot of drama because neither me, Chloe or Max's household seemed capable of stopping. Either way, this much I was sure of. This visit with our families was going to be exceedingly difficult and if things don't start to look up soon I might just beg Max to rewind time to the moment we were on the couch right before Aunt Clare unlocked the door... just so we can go out the back door and sneak away and spare ourselves a massive headache.


	8. Episode 8: Cheers 2

The teens were so upset they didn't even know where to start. Their parents were out of control and ruining everything! Rachel gave up trying to reason with her father and left him in her bedroom but James wasn't going to have his only child disrespect him and walk away in the middle of what he thought was a important conversation. Infuriated with his daughter, he and Sera sought after Rachel and stopped her in the living room where Chloe and David were yelling at each other. Joyce kept out of that, refusing to put herself in their cross fire if she could help it. She remained passive in the kitchen, knowing it was pointless to stop either of them. However, Joyce got up from the table when she heard Vanessa raise her voice at Max and Max do the same thing right back to Vanessa. Not wanting her best friend to overstep a boundary, Joyce went into the living room where her family was still feuding at the same time the Ambers stumbled into the frey. Ignoring them for the moment, Joyce entered Max's bedroom to see if she could be of any help to either woman when suddenly, Max turned sharply away from Vanessa and Ryan and stormed off. Joyce quickly got out of Max's way and watched as she went to go stand beside Rachel in the living room. That wasn't the wisest thing for Max to do. James saw Max's presence as a disturbance, not a way for Max to receive emotional support from her friends.

Deep down he knew that he shouldn't of taken it so personally but his pride simply wouldn't allow Max to stand next Rachel while he was trying to talk to her. Not only did James yell at Max for interrupting private affairs between him and his family, he rudely inserted himself between Rachel and Max, deliberately using his frame to separate the two girls. Stunned, Max gazed up at James in disbelief as he used his hand to shove Rachel off to the side. Not expecting it, Rachel lost her footing and stumbled into her mother. Leveling her gaze, Sera quickly opened her arms and caught her daughter. Looking into her mother's eyes, Rachel and Sera established a temporary truce of peace for both women weren't exactly on the greatest terms with each other but both in that moment silently agreed that James was out of line. Turning her head around, Rachel glowered viciously at her father's backside and remained put in her mother's protective embrace for the time being. In unison with Sera, Rachel and Max turned angry eyes on James, but he wasn't the least bit swayed but their offended looks. He continued to stand there in his superiority. He was the alpha over his household and despite being in his daughter's home, James showed little respect for her authority and quickly took charge of the entire situation. Starting with Max.

"Stay away from her Max if you know what's best for you."

He snarled, drawing everyone's attention in the house to himself. David and Chloe actually stopped fighting with each other hearing the words fall out of James's mouth and shifted their weight around to study them, unsure if they should take stick up for Max or not. Likewise, Vanessa, Joyce and Ryan came out of Max's bedroom to see what was going on.

"Rachel's wasted enough time entertaining the likes of you. Why don't you do yourself a huge favor and grow a pair worthy of my attention. Maybe then I'll accept the stink of your trashy so called friendship with my daughter. You, who have somehow managed to distract her from everything that's important in life, such as myself and her mother. Honestly how do you live with yourself? You're a selfish spoiled brat and you should be ashamed of yourself but since you're so greedy, I doubt you'll be changing any time soon."

Max recoiled as if burned by the statement.

"What? I never told Rachel to cut ties with you."

Max paused and grit her teeth, thinking to herself just then how much she wanted to tell James to get out and never come back but, she re-framed, knowing that if she did, there would be another fight and Max could physically tell her body wasn't up for another round of fighting.

"And I'm not selfish. I just-"

James stepped closer, silencing Max on the spot. Smirking, he used his height to intimidate Max and openly towered over her. His lips curled up even more seeing her face scrunch up in confusion and to an extent, fear.

"Now wait just a minute!"

Ryan snapped, walking over to Max with Vanessa at his side. Although Max was still a little miffed at her father for his earlier display of "parental concern" towards her figure and also with her mother for forcing her opinions down her throat, Max let it slide so they could challenge James head on, for neither Caulfield appreciated James's bitter attitude or his obvious bias towards Max in general.

"You can't talk to my little girl that way."

Ryan continued, pointing an anger finger at James in his defense. Arching an eyebrow, James held his arm up to keep Rachel from stepping forward and involving herself in what was about to go down between the two men.

"It's a free country. I can talk however I want. Besides, you were the one who claimed my child was the horrible influence in your daughter's life Mr. Caulfield."

Ryan opened his mouth, ready to explode when Vanessa came forward and stood directly in front of James. Lowering his head, he narrowed his eyes at the woman before him, impressed and at the same time, insulted that Ryan allowed his wife to meddle in their business.

"You can't criticize and slander my daughter but _I_ can. However, most of my complaints about Maxine's growth is because of _your_ daughter's influence in her life!"

James frowned, then blinked twice. He couldn't disagree with Vanessa for he also thought Rachel was out of control and a horrible role model to the local youths wherever she went. That didn't mean he was about to accept Vanessa's brewing attack to his own flesh and blood. James hated to lose. Therefore he decided he would turn the table and see how Vanessa came back at him.

"Right. Like Rachel is the only factor tainting your kid. Last time I checked Mrs. Caulfield, there are two people living with Max. Rachel and Miss Price over there. Whom I know for a solid fact smokes pot and drinks illegally, just like my own child does in the shadows."

As if he knew Rachel was going to object and lie about it, James jerked his head around and pointed at her.

"Oh please. You honestly didn't think your mother and I weren't aware of where our money was going this entire time were you? Joyce is responsible like that, letting us know what you and Chloe do in your spare time. And even without Joyce's heads up, we suspected that was what you were doing Rachel. So don't even try to deny it!"

Rachel's mouth shut against her will. She was guilty of all those things and if Joyce was the reason her parents knew about her secret activities, then she couldn't say anything because Joyce was a honest person. More than likely, Joyce let the cat out of bag due to worry and Rachel couldn't be upset with Joyce for that. Chloe on the other hand was furious at her mother for telling the Ambers about those things. Yes, she was just as guilty and couldn't hide behind a fib even if she wanted to but even so, James was just using that information as ammunition against them all and that's what drove Chloe over the edge about it.

"Why you...!"

Chloe started, attempting to sprint over to James and give the man a piece of her mind but David was a step ahead of her and held up his arm, blocking Chloe from doing anything of the sort. Noting Chloe's reaction, Joyce also gave Chloe a warning look and fully expected her to let it go and behave herself. Annoyed with them both, Chloe crossed her arms and resorted to a slightly aggressive stance but she minded her parents, even though she didn't want to do it.

"As you can see, Mrs. Caulfield."

James smoothly remarked, turning his head and establishing eye contact with Vanessa again.

"Rachel is a problem, but so is Chloe. If you're going to judge and accuse Rachel of dragging your daughter down remember that Chloe has been around Max the longest and has probably done the most damage. I mean, you saw her tattoos. Funny how Rachel and Chloe have tattoos too but Max didn't. Not until she moved here and started living with them."

Before anyone could react to his cocky statement James quickly added,

"I wouldn't be surprised if they're sleeping together on a regular basis and Max here is the one who gets the biggest benefits out of the deal. I suppose that's to expected when perfection lies with trash, huh?"

All the women, younger generation included turned red in the face from anger and their expressions hardened, marking their rage. Ryan and David's jaws dropped and for the longest time the men struggled on how to respond to James's accusation.

"Okay. Let's get some facts straight right now. I am not sleeping with your daughter. She's my friend, _âne!_ Not some thrill I get high off when I'm bored or when I'm feeling lonely."

Max invaded James's personal space, putting them almost chest-to-chest and suddenly remembered what he told Rachel in the alternate reality and how he, even in that time, accused them all of such things. Revisiting that scene in her mind only added fuel to the fire James had created but Max wasn't sure if she cared anymore to be respectful to him or any of the adults right now. All of them, in their own way, were rubbing her wrong, even Joyce. Out of everyone present, Max was hoping Joyce would defend them at the most but Joyce seemed to be passive about everything. If and when Max was able to defeat James at his own game, only then would Max consider moving onto Joyce and her mother.

"As a matter of fact, I don't mind being alone. I kind of prefer to be and quite frankly, it was Rachel who sought me out and wanted my attention, not the other way around."

Max made a quick show of glancing around the room and letting her eyes rove over each parent, shared a brief look of frustration with her soulmates then finally fixed her stern gaze back on James.

"And just in case anyone in here is entertaining this horrible thought, I'm not shacking up with Chloe either! I'm still a virgin and plan on keeping it that way until further notice. And FYI to everyone here today, if I was sleeping with Rachel or Chloe or with both of them for that matter, I would boast about it and tell you to your face if asked. But I'm not and they're not sleeping with each other either. No one is having sex in this studio because we're friends Mr. Amber, something you wouldn't know anything about since you don't have any."

Max finally ground out in low, dangerous voice that sent chills throughout the atmosphere. Disgusted with her response, James fluffed his business suit's collar and cast his wife a displeased scowl, hinting to her that he did not appreciate Max's retaliation. Sera, still upset from her husband's early remark to Max, glanced away, refusing to support his cause in the matter.

"No wonder Rachel didn't want you to come up here. I was taught that there's good in everyone but you've proven me wrong. How Rachel survived living under your roof up until I now, I don't know. It's a miracle she hasn't killed herself."

Max was on roll and she didn't intend to stop until James understood a few things. Taking a bold step forward, Max's features indurated and her voice rose, almost to the point of shouting.

"You don't know anything about her or what kind of person she is. I do and I can safely say I know your daughter better than you and probably your wife over there because I chose to understand Rachel. I chose to accept everything about her and I also chose to share my life with her. If you and Mrs. Amber don't like that or the idea of us being soulmates, too bad. You can't dismiss me out of Rachel's life like you do to your whores and you can't knock me around when you can't get your way because I, unlike Rachel, am not nice enough to let things like that go. I'll fight you, even if you are bigger and more powerful than I am. Don't let this-"

Max paused so she could gesture at herself.

"Scrawny body fool you. If you try to take Rachel away from me, I will challenge you ten times fold. Think I'm bluffing? Try me _âne_ and I'll show you how ugly this trash can be."

Max's eyes narrowed at the same time James's did but she resisted the urge to say anymore. As tempting as it was to rip Max a new one, James decided Max wasn't worth it and let her get away with talking to him like that for now. Rachel blushed, immensely flattered by Max's zeal to protect her honor. Chloe openly gave Max a thumbs up but one glare from her parents and the thumb went down. Now Vanessa took charge of the situation. She didn't care for James in the least, but as a parent, she felt she needed to chastise Max for talking to James in such a manner even though James was equally just as guilty for talking smack about her child and should have known better.

"Max that was uncalled for. Apologize to Mr. Amber right now."

The request Vanessa made was like a direct kick to Max's gut. Whipping her head around, Max shot her mother a stubborn look.

"You heard the lady. Shame on you for disrespecting your elders like that."

Irritated at James for rubbing the obvious in, Vanessa opened her mouth and started to tell him to back off when Max looked James right in the face nicely uttered under her breath a famous catchphrase only Victoria Chase would get caught dead saying and everyone who happened to hear Max say it, knew it was directed at James. Max had already cooked her goose with her display of swearing earlier on but what she just said to James just now was crossing the line as far as her parents and the Prices were concerned. Hearing such vulgar, degrading language fall out of their child's mouth sent Ryan and Vanessa into a uproar and Ryan came up behind Max, attempting to grab her by the forearm and haul her back into him but Vanessa beat Ryan to it. Max, needless to say, wasn't impressed having her wrist taken captive by her mother's hand and jerked roughly to the side.

"I'm not apologizing to him so you can forget it. Last time I checked, this is my, Rachel and Chloe's house. Not yours, not dad's and certainly not Mr. Amber's. Besides, why should I treat him with respect when he's not treating me or anyone else here with respect? I meant what I said. He can go screw himself and take a selfie while he's at it."

Narrowing her eyes in anger, Vanessa tugged Max toward her not in warmth, not in invitation, but with authority. Peering down into her daughter's stubborn face, Vanessa braced herself, refusing to accept Max's rebellion as an answer.

"You will apologize to him and then we're going to talk about some other things in more detail. Privately."

Max knew right away her mother was referring to her tattoos and possibly her new punk style. Currently, Max was wearing a simple black tank top and faded blue jean that had sown in holes and some really nice All-Star Converse shoes with DC Comic characters fighting on them. Nothing too fancy or out there but there just enough changes to her appearance that was clearly offensive to her mother but Max didn't care what she thought. She didn't care what anyone standing around in the room might be thinking of her either. She was happy, she had discovered for herself what she wanted to do with her life and personal preferences was simply her choice and hers alone. If her mother didn't like the changes that were happening to her, Max was already bent on telling her to get over it.

"Forget it."

Max bitterly retorted, forcefully jerking her wrist out of her mother's hand and rubbing at the soreness Vanessa's iron grip had created.

"See Sera? See Joyce? This is the damage your girls have done to Maxine. And James thinks Max's the bad influence here? Heh, I beg to differ."

Offended that Vanessa was even going there with her, Joyce finally put herself in the fray, feeling somewhat obligated to uphold Chloe's position in all of this madness.

" _What?!_ "

She exclaimed, marching right over to where Max, Vanessa and James were standing. Not wanting to get in their way, James causally stepped off to the side and watched along with everyone else, feeling rather proud of himself for being able to avoid Vanessa's wrath and it showed on his smug face. Seeing his cockiness upset Sera but she kept her mouth shut and just observed in silence along with the other adults.

"Don't you _dare_ Vanessa Caulfield! I realize Chloe hasn't been the greatest child these past few years but she wasn't even physically in Max's life during that period. They've been reunited for what? Three months now? You're assuming again and all that's getting you is negative points with me missy! Now you listen and listen well because I'm only saying this once."

Joyce gestured at Chloe then back at herself.

"You of all people, should know how hard I've been trying to work with Chloe ever since William's death. But then again, maybe I'm giving you too much credit and that's wrong of me to say. You couldn't possibly understand the heartache I carry because you don't know what it's like to loose your best friend and lover and daughter on the same day and then watch that same daughter destroy herself year after year because the death of her father so vast and so deep. After doing everything in my power I knew how to do as her mother, it dawned on me one day that best thing I could do, at that point was let Chloe go off and do what she wanted because anymore, I'd just be forcing her to change and move on with life. She wasn't ready to do it, I was so I remarried but Chloe... Chloe chose to be angry and suffer. It's not like I wasn't making myself available to her. It's not like I approved of the pot and her binge drinking. It's not like I didn't put my foot down and discipline her. I did do all those things but in the end, Chloe didn't want what I was offering and wanted to live life her way so yes Vanessa, I let her alone but not because I wanted to. She left me with no other choice. If anyone has played the biggest influence in all of this, it's Max for both Rachel and Chloe. Even I've noticed a slight difference in Rachel's behavior since Max came into the picture. You and James got it backwards. It's not Rachel or Chloe changing Max, it's her who's affecting and changing them and you know what? I'm okay with that. They're living out their dreams, they have each other but more importantly, they're happy with the choices they've made to get themselves to this point. Why are you so bothered by that? Chloe is a young adult now, they all are and they are old enough to take ownership for their own actions. So don't you even start on me and claim my daughter is tainting Max's personality. That girl is grown, you did your job as her mother and now, she's left the nest and wants to do things her way and she's succeeding pretty well in my opinion. I find no fault in Max. Chloe, yes, but only because she tends to repeat past mistakes but like I said, since Max came back into her life, Chloe's genuinely made improvements and I'm completely fine with what's going on here. So back off Vanessa before I have to flex..."

Chloe blinked and snapped her head over in Joyce's direction, taken aback by her mother's words and all at once she found herself listening in to the conversation against with a whole new perspective towards her mother.

"I'm with Joyce on this one mom."

Vanessa stopped listening to Joyce and turned her undivided attention back to Max. Eyes still slanted, Vanessa crossed her arms, just waiting for Max to dig herself further into a hole.

"See, if you and dad supported me like that I'd want to come home more often. Seriously Mom, all you've done is try to shield me from the harsh realities of life and I can understand why. Outside of your parental concern, I felt like you didn't want to stay in Arcadia because you feared the worst and I'd turn out like Rachel or something. Putting it more bluntly, a loose cannon without hope."

Joyce, interestingly enough, gave Vanessa a questioning flicker of her eyes and almost looked she wanted to question Vanessa. Over what, Chloe wasn't sure but just as she was wondering in her mind what it could be, Max provided the perfect answer no one saw coming, not even Vanessa.

"Or was it the drug problem Arcadia Bay was known for that scared you and all the missing girls posters that started popping up around town? Even back then, I remember how you reacted to seeing those fliers or hearing about who went missing on TV. You know, I told Chloe that I didn't move away to screw her over, I had no choice in the matter but now I'm starting to wonder, did you up and leave simply because you feared all of those things happening to you? To me? If that's true, which I'm pretty sure it is, then all the pain Chloe and I are dealing with from being separated for five years is a direct result of you letting your insecurities get in the way of everything. Especially my relationship with Chloe. Unlike you who was okay with leaving her best friend behind, I wasn't and unlike you, I actually care about mine enough to follow her to hell and back, even if that means facing my fears which I'm starting to also wonder if you failed to do because all this stuff about Chloe and Rachel being the bad guys is unfair. Go take a look in the mirror sometime and tell me who's the real villain in all of this. Dad didn't want to move and I didn't want to go, I hated the thought of leaving my hometown. It was just you who insisted to move away. Or maybe I should say run away?"

Vanessa yelling at Max was expected. The hard smack across the face that literally made Max stagger away and almost loose her balance? Not so much. Everybody fell silent and stared at the two of them, each wearing their own masks of shock to cover up how the truly felt. In all the years Ryan had been married to Vanessa, he never saw her strike their children over anything, even if disciplinary action was called for, Vanessa didn't apply it but for her to do it now, out of the blue, was very unsettling for him to take in. He stood there. Useless in a sea of confusion, unable to form any words to say in Max's defense. David didn't know Vanessa's family very well. Only what Joyce told him and not even she reported such things to him when it came down to Vanessa's parenting skills so he too, was caught off guard by it and mentally debated on whether or not he should say something or just keep quiet. Sera simply looked away, not even daring to go there. Max wasn't her daughter but her heart still twisted at the graphic scene of seeing Vanessa smack Max all the same. James was obviously in agreement with what happened. He didn't notify that on his face due to the fear of Vanessa whirling around and doing the same thing to him. Joyce was speechless and didn't know what to do, Chloe and Rachel were infuriated at Vanessa and felt the slap wasn't needed. Out of everyone in the room, Chloe and Rachel were affected by it the most but they had enough sense to not say anything. Instead, they waited to see what was going to happen between Max and her mother.

"How dare you speak to me like this! Don't you _ever_ accuse me of ruining your life or destroying your relationship with Chloe or accuse me of being a coward! We moved for varies reasons. My job being one of them! And although I will admit I was given the choice to remain in Arcadia Bay at the current location, I wanted to work at the new site. It paid better and financially, we needed the money. How else was your father and I going to pay for your and your brother's intuition?"

As Vanessa spoke these things, Max was still trying to piece together what just happened. Slowly turning her head, she looked at her mother not in shock, not with a new found fear but with hurt as angry tears spilled from the corners of her eyes. Seeing her daughter's tears should have made Vanessa calm down but to Max's further disappointment, Vanessa kept going. Feeling that Vanessa had proved her case and done enough damage for one day, Joyce spoke up again, trying to reason with Vanessa. Ryan and David threw their two cents in as well and before too much longer, all the adults, excluding Sera, were bantering all over again but for different reasons. Ignoring the fierce stinging sensation from the smack, Max took a few steps back, overwhelmed and finding herself starting to panic. Aware that Max was on her way to having an anxiety attack, Rachel went over to Max first. Chloe caught on and followed in after Rachel and if they got jumped for coming over to Max, so be it but they weren't going to stand around and let her have an anxiety attack alone.

"Max are you okay?"

Chloe whispered, grabbing her gently by the shoulders. Rachel rested the back of her hand against Max's cheek, not surprised to see that Max was forming a fever that she guessed was a result from high blood pressure combined with the start of Max's soon-to-be anxiety attack.

"I..."

Max started but froze unexpectedly feeling her heart twist within her. Overcome by excoriating pain, Max grabbed at her chest and doubled over. She opened her mouth and felt herself ask Rachel and Chloe for help, but all that came out was a strained moan.

"Max!"

Rachel and Chloe exclaimed, both trying to steady her with their hands. Noticing what was happening, the parents stopped arguing and did one of two things. They either stood still and stared or they went over to inspect the situation. James and Sera clearly didn't get involved. Ryan, David, Joyce and Vanessa however, gathered around the girls to see what was wrong with Max. Max remained doubled over and fought to regain control of her body but when she dared to raise her head, it dropped immediately and her eyes closed against her will her. Without warning, Max's head began to throb, making her extremely light headed. There were many voices speaking to her but she couldn't respond to them even if she wanted to because her anxiety attack had officially commenced and she couldn't do anything about it until it was over. As if that wasn't enough to stress her out, Max saw something play in her mind that instantly made her cringe.

 _No! God please, not this again!_

Max screamed mentally and roughly clutched at her hair. Words alone could not express her hatred when she saw a horrible dark cloud swirling into a vicious tornado with lighting cackling all around it and move itself past a broken lighthouse as enraged waves rushed towards the shoreline of Arcadia Bay. The vision of this destruction started to flicker rapidly before Max's closed eyes, just like a light switch that is purposely turned on and off.

"Max!"

Chloe shouted Max's name, bringing her out of the horrible parallelism of fear and confusion.

"C-Chloe...?"

Max whimpered, weakly lifting her head to glance around to see what was happening. Many people were staring at her and it was slightly unnerving to be the center of their attention. With the anxiety attack over and the vision behind her, Max released her hair and wearily studied the worried faces before her, unsure of what to say.

"Max what on earth happened to you? Are you all right?"

Just as Max prepared to answer Joyce's question, her nose bled. Bad. This did not go over well with some of the adults. James and David stereo typically were thinking drug usage but neither expressed their opinions. They didn't it have to because the accusation showed through their facial expressions. Joyce did not think along those lines. She actually believed whatever Max just suffered was the simple cause for the nosebleed. Seeing blood come pouring out of his daughter's nose spooked Ryan. He could care less what caused it he just wanted it to stop, so being the concerned parent that he was, Ryan reached in his back pocket, brought forth a handkerchief and presented it to Max. Grateful, Max took it and swiftly pressed it under her nostrils to catch the blood. Still very light headed, Max swayed a little bit but thankfully, Rachel wrapped her arm Max's shoulders and Chloe snaked her arm her waist to keep her steady.

"So you really are using drugs."

Vanessa's cold, condemning voice cut through the tension like a whip. Infuriated that Vanessa thought this, rather, believed that Max was using drugs, Rachel went off on Vanessa first and Chloe jumped in before Vanessa could recover from Rachel's jab and start another list of complaints towards them all. Max, tired and at a loss, finally just shut down and began to sob uncontrollably. The slap really hurt, both emotionally and physically but now to be accused of using drugs by her own mother after going through such a painful anxiety attack was the final line. Max didn't suffer everything in all the alternate realities, witness death countless times, risk her health over and over to figure out a way to save Rachel and Chloe, die at random only to come back to life and come this far in the current reality to have it all destroyed by the adults. It wasn't fair. All she had sacrificed, all the hard work she had put forth meant nothing if she couldn't enjoy her life!

"Leave me alone... all you just leave me alone..."

Max wasn't sure if they heard her but did it matter? Evidently, that was the sick joke of the day. No one was listening to what she or her roommates had to say, so whether Max was heard or not, she was done and didn't want to deal with it anymore. Minding her bloody nose, Max kept the handkerchief pressed against the roof of her mouth and ever so gently broke away from Rachel and Chloe and started towards her bedroom, completely emotionless and blind to everyone around her.

"Max wait!"

Rachel called after her, even tried to go into the bedroom with her but Max shut the door in her face, quietly muttering to Rachel and everyone else to go away. This rejection cut the other two girls deeply. Disbanding from the ring of adults, Chloe walked over to the door and took her place beside Rachel. To say they were upset, was an understatement. They were furious at a majority of the adults for showing up and ruining their day and even more so, hurting Max's feelings and being insensitive to her anxiety attack. They kept their backs to the adults and softly begged Max to let them come in so they could talk. While Rachel and Chloe coaxed Max to allow them access, the adults quietly scattered and took some time to think about what happened for themselves. Joyce however, did not let Vanessa off the hook so easily. She, along with Ryan, went into the kitchen and sat down together at the dinner table, openly scolding Vanessa for her behavior towards Max. Ryan may of been conflicted about a few things that happened but he made it point to tell Vanessa why was wrong about Max and the girls in general.

Their group talk lasted for several minutes and Vanessa took in what Joyce and her husband were saying in strides. James went to Rachel's room where he and Sera would be staying for the remainder of the visit and sat down beside Sera on the bed. He knew where he over stepped his boundaries but he didn't feel that he had done anything wrong. Therefore James did not converse with his wife and suggest a solution. He just sat there, in silence and texted some of his colleagues from the office to kill time. Sera saw that and rolled her eyes. James was a jerk, this much she knew but sometimes, she wished he would see himself for the pig that he was without her having to say it. David occupied himself with the remote and television. Unlike the Ambers, he and Joyce had reservations at a hotel. All that remained was Joyce getting bored of visiting the girls then they could leave and call it day.

"Max, please let us in? Come on, we know you're upset but we want to be with you."

That was Chloe's fourth plea or was it her fifth? Max wasn't sure but Max did eventually drag herself off the bed and opened the door, letting her roommates enter. As quickly as Max opened the door, she turned around and returned to her curled up position on the bed with her knees drawn up. Rachel and Chloe shared a knowing look, then cautiously joined Max on the bed. Chloe settled in behind her and Rachel stretched out in front of her. They knew words weren't going to help Max come out of her depression so they leaned in, lightly hugged her and took turns rocking her. This sequence between them led to giving Max pepper kisses all over her face. To their delight, it did soften Max's mood and she returned the affection wholeheartedly. As the girls continued to comfort each other, Vanessa was making preparations to go apologize to Max. Out of the two, Joyce had tore into her the hardest. Sera had some things she would of like to of added but chose to remain passive and settled for observation.

"At least apologize for hitting her."

Joyce persisted, pushing Vanessa over the edge with guilt and hoping it haunted her something awful.

"All right, all right."

Defeated, Vanessa took it upon herself to say something to Max first even though Vanessa does not feel she was in the wrong but Joyce wasn't shut up about it until she made amends with Max.

"I'll go apologize to her. Be right back."

Vanessa mumbled, standing up and walking around the backs of the chairs and into the living room. Despite her anger, Vanessa went towards Max's room with good intentions. But upon nearing the door, Vanessa heard muffled noises, such as soft sighs and giggling. Instantly, without even thinking, she opened the door, already having an idea of what she was going to see. Sure enough, Vanessa's eyes fell on the bed where the three were lounging, tangled up with each other. Not expecting Vanessa to walk in on them, the girls ceased in what they were doing, gasped and hesitantly looked over from their intimate positions on the bed. Chloe was on her side facing Max, Rachel was on top of Max and Max had her arms firmly locked around Rachel's neck. Max and Rachel were too close for Vanessa's liking. It didn't help that Chloe was snuggled up into Max's side and had one of her hands resting lazily on Max's waist either. The girls blushed, deeply embarrassed to have gotten caught like so and Vanessa's own face reddened from anger.

"That's it!"

She hissed through clenched teeth. Before either girl could explain that their affection was strictly platonic and not what Vanessa may have assumed, Vanessa turned away, slamming the door loudly behind her.

"Ohh we are _so_ screwed..."

Chloe just had to state the obvious. Knowing that she was absolutely correct in her assessment, Max and Rachel closed their eyes, sighing in despair, already dreading what could possibly come from the situation.

"Ryan!"

Vanessa barked, marching herself into the kitchen where Ryan, Sera, Joyce and now David were all sitting at the table, chatting softly to each other for once. Vanessa's noisy entrance killed the mood and suddenly, the adults found themselves in another sensitive predicament.

"Get our bags. Max is leaving and coming back home with us as of right now!"

Totally blown away by what was happening, Ryan stood up from the table at the same time Joyce and David did. The three of them exchanged puzzled glances before returning their attention to Vanessa.

"Honey calm down. What happened? I didn't hear any yelling so I assumed you guys didn't get into a fight?"

Vanessa crossed her arms and boldly declared with some edge,

"There's going to be a fight if she doesn't come quietly."

Hearing those words, Sera bowed her head and stared at the vase in the middle of the table, contemplating quietly to herself. Sera was a smart woman who had a similar experience happen to her many years go. It didn't take a rocket scientist to put together what happened but like usual, she kept quiet and sat back, untouched, uninvolved and just watched everyone break into a panic.

"What are you standing there for Ryan? Get our bags and call a taxi!"

"Vanessa just calm down and explain to us what happened."

David, bless his heart was trying to figure out what was going on but no matter how much he or the other adults tried to get information out of Vanessa, she refused to tell them the reason for her sudden decision to remove Max from the studio.

"Mom stop! Please, let me explain!"

Max came rushing out with the other girls and straight into the kitchen where the action was taking place and was hoping to reason with her mother, but Vanessa wasn't going to hear it.

"Max, there's nothing you can say to change my mind. You're moving out."

Vanessa pointed a defined finger the tiled floor.

"Today and coming back home. This is not up for debate!"

"But what about my classes? What about Rachel and Chloe? We came here together and have a signed contract with Rachel's aunt to uphold our end of the bargain. Part of that agreement, was not bailing the first five months of being here. It's been what... like, three months tops?"

Max lamely countered, not wanting to ask that question but due to the sudden rush of her emotions and the confusion that was the first thing she could think about saying.

"You'll be transferring out obviously and if Clare has a payment penalty, we'll pay it. As for your so called roommates, they can just get over it and deal with the changes."

Joyce's mouth sagged down in wonderment to what she just witnessed. Stunned and unable to comprehend Vanessa's odd behavior, Joyce turned her head and blinked at David who titled his head and shot Ryan a baffled look that demanded an explanation. Ryan, who was just as lost in what was going on, held up his hands, silently mouthing them apologies with his lips.

"Now go pack a bag and take what you need for a few weeks and we'll have the rest mailed."

Hurt, addled and without hope, Max rigidly shook her head and left the kitchen, appearing to be doing what her mother wanted but little did her mother realize, Max was going to take little detour. Max by nature was not a rebellious person but too many things were happening all at once and she wasn't sure how to feel or how to react anymore. As risky as it would be, Max was going to pack a bag all right... and make a run for it when no one was looking. Not about to take this crap from Vanessa, Rachel tore her eyes off Max's retreating backside and over onto Vanessa.

"Why are you doing this? Did what you witness offend you that badly or is it more than that?"

Rachel asked dryly, not the least bit frazzled by what was happening or fearing what could happen for challenging Vanessa for that matter.

"Yeah, because Max isn't at fault here."

Chloe waved her hand between her and Rachel.

"We are. If you wanna blow flames then blow them at us. We were the ones who wanted to do it. Our goal was to cheer her up, that's all Mrs. Caulfield. I mean, it's not like we were groping her or shoving our tongues down her throat. Chillax will ya'? It wasn't that big of a deal."

Chloe seconded Rachel, desiring to understand why Vanessa was going over the top all of a sudden even though Chloe could see why but that only counted for the first few seconds. In Chloe's opinion, Vanessa had been overbearing and hounding on Max from the start and one way or the other, she was going to get to the bottom of it, even it that meant declaring war with Max's own mother.

"Whoa, whoa. Okay now I really want to know what's going on!"

Ryan exclaimed, turning to his wife and putting impatient hands on his hips. Knowing she wasn't going to expose what she saw, Vanessa chose not to answer Ryan's question. To apply that choice, Vanessa glanced at her husband momentarily before shifting her focus over to Sera. Feeling her penetrating glare cut right through her, Sera slowly raised her eyes and matched Vanessa's disgusted look with one of her own and in the few seconds they leered at each other, both Sera and Vanessa revisited bitter moments in their mind that was screaming at them, demanding that they settle the score for closure sake.

"Nothing bad happened Ryan, however the decision I've made is final. Max may not see it now, but one day, she's going to thank me for doing this."

Vanessa mumbled after what seemed like forever, finally averting her eyes away from Sera's. Vanessa knew that Sera understood the true reason she was ordering Max to leave which was a indirect stab at old wounds Sera herself had given to Vanessa but Sera pretended to not care much to Vanessa's disappointment and that only added to Vanessa's anger. Joyce was still in the dark, Vanessa could tell and for once, she wanted her to be. Considering what all had happened between the three of them in the past, Vanessa felt it would be better to keep things vague and at a distant.

"What? Tch. Fine. But I hope this is worth it because Max is going to be beyond pissed at us for doing this to her."

Came the confused reply from Ryan but what could he do? Vanessa was bent on getting her way and something obviously happened to push her to this point so he settled for trusting his wife's judgment.

"Hold on Ryan. Vanessa, look at me."

Joyce quipped, rising to her feet and drawing everyone's attention.

"We asked you to make amends with Max not worsen the situation. Now we're going to sort this out like the mature adults we are and I say if David, Ryan and Sera find no tangible concrete evidence from your story, Max should stay here in L.A. with Chloe and Rachel and abide by the contract they signed with Clare. That's just common sense, something I fear you're lacking. But with that being said, what did you see that could possible be so horrible it's worthy of invading her free will like this and forcing her to leave?"

While Joyce tried to figure out what was going on, Rachel and Chloe interrupted Joyce and dragged themselves into the conversation, desperate to try to fight for Max's rights to remain in the house. With everyone caught up in their arguments, Max slung bag over her shoulder and quietly sneaked out through her own bedroom window and ventured out into the chilling cold. She didn't leave note saying where she would be going or what time she planned on coming back. As far as Max was concerned, she wouldn't be returning home until she could process what was happening and then figure out a creative way to convince her mother to let her stay in L.A. with her soulmates. Max was not about to let her mother or anyone else ruin what she had going on for her if she could help it. Max was so distracted by her troubled thoughts she didn't notice how far she had been walking or the fancy Dodge Charger that was slowing its pace until it was moving directly in time with her footing.

"Max?"

Max stopped walking hearing Victoria's voice. Sniffing softly, Max wiped the tears that were forming away and put on her bravest smile, hoping Victoria wouldn't think anything was wrong.

"Oh. Hi Victoria. What are you doing out here this late?"

Victoria checked her rear view mirrors to make sure no cars were coming up behind her, then she pushed the button down on the control pad so she could stick her head out the window better.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? There's a blizzard coming this way and here you are, out in negative degree weather, wondering the streets. What's going on?"

Victoria's comfortable smirk lessened the moment Max dropped her head and she head Max bite back a sob.

"Oh Victoria I... I-"

Hearing an approaching car off in the distance, Victoria frowned and jerked her head to the passenger seat next to her.

"Max, get in."

Victoria wasn't excepting no for an answer so Max went around to the passenger side, opened the door and got in. Victoria hit the gas and sped off, already fearing the worst. Normally, Max doesn't go around carrying a bag apart from her camera bag and wonder aimlessly around the city. Victoria knew something was off because A, Max didn't have her camera bag with her but a travel bag and B, she was alone. As in, her faithful companions that are almost always with her, were absent.

"Okay Max, what's going on? You look like you've lost your best friends times ten."

Max slouched further down in her seat and wearily draped her arm across her stomach.

"It's kind of a long story."

Max mumbled, rolling her head away and resting it against cool glass of the window.

"Well, we have an hour before we get to my place. Penny for your thoughts?"

Needing to release the pressure inside of her, Max took a deep breath and told Victoria every single event that had taken place at the studio since yesterday afternoon. Victoria listened closely to what was being said and when Max got to the part about her mother coming in and catching her with Chloe and Rachel, Victoria could see why Vanessa might freak but no matter how hard she tried to understand Vanessa's choice to make Max leave L.A., it just didn't add up.

"I know something that will cheer you up."

Victoria offered, changing the direction of the conversation. Sighing heavily, Max sat up a little and peered over at Victoria with a curious gleam in her tired eyes.

"You do?"

Nodding gently, Victoria glanced over and smiled sweetly at Max, wanting to reassure her.

"Yes. When we get to my house, you'll see."

* * *

Exactly one hour later, Victoria very carefully guided the car into the garage space of her house.

"Go ahead and go make yourself comfortable in The Gathering Hall. I'll be in shortly."

Nodding, Max grabbed her bag, got out of the car and entered the house through the garage. Right away, Max was greeted by Alyssa. Alyssa's face lit up seeing Max and the two found themselves engaged in a deep conversation dealing with their classes, their experience in L.A. and all the things that they liked and disliked about it.

"So how's your holiday break going so far Max?"

Max didn't want to stir up fresh memories again. She had done enough of that with Victoria so she simplified her story, telling Alyssa just enough to pacify her.

"It's okay. Rachel and Chloe's parents came up to visit... mine did too. We already opened gifts so for me, my holiday came to close pretty quickly. I just want to enjoy some peace and quiet, you know? Catch up on some much needed sleep. I can't begin to tell you how late Rachel and I stayed up quizzing each other for our exams. But I'm confident I passed them. Er, most of them. What about you?"

Alyssa and Max continued to chat, long after they had entered The Gathering Hall. Dana came downstairs in nothing but a sports bra and her slim tight jeans. Not the least bit phased by this, Max waved at her and she waved back.

"Max, what a pleasant surprise. I didn't know you were here."

Max shared a knowing look with Alissa.

"Victoria found me outside on the streets and brought me over here."

"Well make yourself at home. If you need anything, just holler. I need to go do some laundry."

Bending down, Dana wrapped her arms around Max and gave her a big hug. Content with herself, Dana leaned back and briskly sauntered off to the laundry room. No sooner after Dana left, Alissa got up from the couch, remembering that she also had to wash some clothes of her own.

"Hey Max, I hate to leave you us but I also have to do some laun-"

Alyssa got cut off by light cover of all things. Evidently, it was loose and decided it was ready to give in and fall off the ceiling, leaving the bulb it once cased and crsh down on Alyssa's head. Alyssa cried out from pain and grabbed at her head. Max didn't look surprised nor did she ask Alyssa if she was okay. Why bother when she was going to rewind and warn Alyssa about it? Sure Max felt bad for her but Max has learned from past experience, when it comes to Alyssa, getting all riled up for her, even if it was just for a second, didn't amount to anything except burnt out energy.

 _Here we go again. Heh, at least these encounters with Alyssa are consistent._

Taking a deep breath, Max routinely closed her eyes, raised her arm and rewound time to the point after Dana had exited The Gathering Hall. When time resumed its natural flow, Max felt what could be start of nose bleed but it didn't happen. And even if it had, rewinding to warn Alyssa was worth it, even though it wasn't exactly dire emergencies it just felt good to keep the girl from getting hurt.

"Alyssa can we hug a little bit longer? This is so nice, you know? Hugging you... here... safe on the couch. Ahh, the feels. It's great isn't?"

Alyssa needed to let Max know she was leaving to go do her laundry but she could spare a few extras seconds and entertain her.

"Um..."

Alyssa trailed off and looked at Max, questionably.

"Sure Max. If that will make you happy."

Shrugging off Max's comment, Alyssa leaned forward and caved her arms back around Max. Chin on Alyssa's shoulder, Max returned the hug and with a smug smile on her face, she slowly raised her eyes to the ceiling and simply waited for the incident to happen. The very second the light cover fell and crashed on the floor, Alyssa and Max's arms fell away from each another and Alyssa stared at the light cover in shock.

"Whoa. That could of ended badly."

She hesitantly glanced at Max, studying her suspiciously. Smiling, Max nodded silently in agreement, faking her shocked reaction.

"I know right? It's a good thing that you missed it huh?"

Grinning, Alyssa bent over and snatched the light cover up off the floor.

"Yeah. Well, I better get going so I can get my laundry done before dinner. I'll just take this with me for now."

Her smile still plastered on her face, Max watched Alyssa leave. When she was out of eye shot, Max thrust her head back into the cushions and released a long sigh. Just sitting still, in the quiet of Victoria's house was doing wonders for Max and already she could feel her body starting to mellow out. Max wasn't sure when she had nodded off or how long she had been sleeping by herself on the couch. All she knew is she was starting to unwind and it felt amazing.

"Max. Hey, Maaaax... wake up."

The soft intrusion of Victoria's voice filled the room, jarring Max from her nap. Wondering what it was Victoria wanted, Max's eyes peeked open and she found herself looking at a cold bottle of Mike's Cold Hard Lemonade dangling back and forth in front of her. Max smiled, grateful for the malt beer and gladly received it. With little effort, Max twisted the cap off, then helped herself to the beverage. She took a slow pleasing sip at first then decided to chug it straight down. Victoria watched with a tranquil smile on her face, happy to see Max finally enjoying herself.

"Want me to get you another one?"

Lowering the rim of the bottle away from her mouth, Max twisted her neck just slightly and saw that Victoria also had with her a plate that had a hefty amount of bacon and eggs. Normally, the sight of one of her favorite meals would make Max's heart soar but today, all the food did was remind her of what her father had said. Tears formed unexpectedly and Max regrettably, shook her head.

"I'd like another Mike's but um... not this."

It pained Max to reject the food but she just couldn't stomach it with her father's words resounding through her mind at the moment. In fact, it tormented Max so much she actually started to cry a little bit. Confounded, Victoria set the plate down on the coffee table.

"Whoa, whoa, what is wrong? Is the bacon not crispy enough?"

Using the back of her arm Max brushed her tears away, feebly admitting to Victoria that she failed to tell her a minor detail in the car... on purpose.

"Victoria look, there's something I forgot to mention on the way over here. It seemed stupid to bring up so I avoided talking about it but now I... I-"

Victoria leveled her gaze with Max and arched an eyebrow, curious to learn the answer.

"Does it have something to do with you not wanting to eat?"

Victoria sat down beside Max and gently touched her arm, hoping she would open up and confess what it was. To Victoria's further shock, Max threw herself at Victoria, latching onto her as if her life depended on it and just started crying harder. Blinking rapidly, Victoria slowly ran her hands up and down Max's back, crooning to her gently.

"Hey, come on now. What's wrong Max?"

"You probably think I'm fat too, huh?"

Victoria frowned and stopped rubbing Max's back.

"No I do not. Max, you're prefect just the way you are. But, you already know I think this about you so why are you questioning these things?"

Burring her face deeper into Victoria's chest, Max whimpered pitifully and all that did was make Victoria even more cross at whatever or whoever was responsible for Max's current break down.

"S-So you don't think my little gut down there makes me look fat?"

At that, Victoria leaned back and put Max at arm's length. Cuffing Max's shoulders, Victoria tilted her head to the side, scoffing lightly.

"No. In all honestly, you look adorable with it and I for one think its sexy. On you of course. It would look hideous on me. But your figure aside... who said you were fat?"

Max wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell Victoria that her own father pointed out that she had gained weight, but since it was Victoria Chase she was talking to, Max already knew if she didn't tell her, Victoria would turn around and find out some other way.

"My dad. He didn't say I was fat per-say he just implied that if I let myself go to a dangerous point he'd complain about it."

That was all Victoria needed to know. Leaning forward, Victoria gently gathered Max back into her arms and gave her big, reassuring hug.

"Max you're staying here with me until further notice."

Hearing the start of what might of been hesitation Victoria squeezed Max again, quickly adding,

"And you're going to eat that food, drink to your hearts content and not worry about anything. Understand?"

Sniffing softly, Max nodded weakly and slumped against Victoria and clung to her and snuggled her way up under Victoria's chin. Victoria remained by Max's side, long after she had eaten and drank to her fill, knowing she would benefit from having uplifting company.

* * *

A whole day and night had passed and no one in the house had heard from Max. Rachel and Chloe had texted everyone they knew in L.A. to see if they had any leads on Max's whereabouts but oddly enough, the Blackwell girls did not reply to their messages so the teens reasoned they were exceedingly busy, their phones were turned off or they were in areas that didn't have good signal. Warren was their last hope but not even he was able to be of any use. He was all the way back in Arcadia Bay, visiting his parents for the holiday so even if he wanted to do something, he wasn't in a position to. Growing weary of sitting around and doing nothing, David stood up and decided that everyone was going to split up into teams, go out into the community and look for Max that way. Vanessa was terribly worried about Max's overall safety and wanted her to come back desperately, so she didn't appose to David's suggestion. James was not in favor of chasing down Max. The way he saw it, she got scared and ran away so he didn't want to burn energy trying to find someone who clearly didn't want to be found but in the end, Sera forced him dragged into the search and somehow, someway, wound up being on a team with David and Ryan while their wives agreed to be another team.

Content with things, David called for two separate cabs. The idea behind that was simple. Each team would travel the opposite ends of the local area and if need to, the outer banks. The one people excluded from the expedition, were Chloe and Rachel. David ordered them to stay behind and patrol their property every so often, just in case Max showed up. Several hours passed but neither team was successful in locating Max. Vanessa refused to quit but in the end, they had to because it was a starting to snow. Bad. The roads were already wet and full of slushy sleet. Neither wanted to be in accident or put the cab driver in unsafe conditions so Joyce finally gave the signal for the cab driver to take them home. It was during this time, Joyce took a moment to study the women on either side of her. Sera had her leg crossed over the other, elbow firmly on the window dash with her chin propped up by her hand and for the first time since all the madness started, she genuinely looked worried. And not just that. Joyce caught Sera glancing over at Vanessa and Vanessa noticing her doing it but always shying away from her looks of desperation. Joyce couldn't be sure but there was one thing she was confident about and that by itself, was going to a rough talk so she braced herself for the worst.

"Ladies. I think it's high time we put our big girl panties on and have our little talk about what happened to us. I'm worried about Max, don't get me wrong but there's two other very important people I love that I'm driving myself gray over as well."

Joyce proclaimed softly, crossing arms over her chest.

"And since I know you two are too stubborn for your own good, I'll say it first so you don't have to."

Instantly, Sera and Vanessa turned their heads and fixed their uneasy eyes on her, both dreading where Joyce was about go and what she was about to say that would unmistakably, open old scars and cause those same scars to bleed anew.

"What happened Sera? I'm pretty good at analyzing situations and finding the core reason behind something but what you did to us, still to this day... I got nothing. I can't figure it out and honestly, I'm not sure I want to anymore."

Sera opened her mouth but Joyce's finger gingerly pressed against her lips, silencing her.

"Wait. I'm not finished."

Turning her head, Joyce kept her finger on Sera's mouth and dove right into Vanessa.

"Call it crazy, but I think the whole reason you're all bent out of shape over what you saw in Max's room, might possibly be a sore reminder of what the three of us had."

Vanessa's mouth cracked open a little bit but just like Sera, Joyce raised her other hand and slapped it over Vanessa's mouth. With both women still and unable to voice their feelings, Joyce continued.

"I haven't caught the three of them myself to prove that theory but I know for a fact Max and Chloe have always been close growing up. Now I said all of that to say this. During the five years Max was absent from Arcadia Bay..."

Joyce made it a note to look between both women before adding,

"Rachel and Chloe's relationship escalated rather quickly. Similar to Max, the two of them became inseparable and they did everything together. Well, one night, Rachel came home from Blackwell to spend the night with Chloe and by pure chance, I caught them cuddling on Chloe's bed. Granted, they were stoned out of their minds but it's interesting how even in that state, their affection was just like ours. Simple, playful and innocent. I never suspected they were sleeping together and even now, I don't believe they are."

The other women remained quiet and kept watching Joyce with their mouths still sealed down and in their own ways, mulled over everything Joyce was saying.

"Now Vanessa. I want you to be honest with us."

Joyce lowered her hand, freeing Vanessa's mouth.

"You walked in and saw them all probably giving each other affection and instantly, you feared the worst because you and I both know just how much Rachel is her mother's daughter and how Max is thoroughly yours."

Joyce lowered her finger away from Sera's lips and looked back around at her, silently challenging Sera to defy her authority in the conversation. Sera simply sat there, blinking slowly and trying to figure out how she was going to give them what they wanted.

"And due to that fear, you, being the over protective mother that you are, wanted to spare Max from going through something like that. Right?"

Vanessa slouched down and her hands began to shift recklessly on her lap.

"Yeah."

She gravely admitted, refusing to look at the two of them.

"That's right. Er, one reason, anyway."

Sighing, Joyce rolled her eyes and crossed her arms again, irritated with Vanessa.

"There's another reason you want her to leave? Honestly I think you've gotten more stubborn over the years. What is it? Drugs? Afraid she's hooked on them? Hmm, this coming from the woman who began to openly smoke joints with Sera when she got stressed out?"

Joyce held up a finger and wagged it sternly from side to side.

"Who I might add, couldn't handle it and wound up coming to my house for hugs? No. Kisses? Please. Emotional support? I wish. No. See, Vanessa always showed up on my door step because she didn't want to get sick at her house and risk getting found out by mommy and daddy. And I always took you in with open arms and let you get sick all over me, the bed, at one point, my pet cat... oooh I could of killed you both. Especially you Sera, you knew Vanessa's body couldn't handle the stuff. But nooo. She, like a fool, would keep smoking them when it struck her to do it and you, the greater fool, kept handing them out like it was candy. You'd think after so many failed attempts you both would get it drilled into your heads that Vanessa Caulfield was a lightweight and would never become a stoner champion like you Sera but you guys just kept climbing that mountain together and never listened to me. Actually, you two still don't listen to me! Why I am the voice of reason in our group? It's pointless if you guys aren't going to listen to me."

Soft laughter bubbled from their lips and for a brief moment, things felt normal between them. But as quickly as the feelings came, they faded out and the three women reluctantly returned back to their deep discussions, somehow forgetting that the cab driver might possibly be listening in but they were so wrapped up with each other, they completely forgot that the cab driver was even there.

"You know, for the record, I was never in agreement with disbanding our trio. I wanted it to work out but..."

Joyce's eyes fell on Sera and she released a heavy, troubled sigh, followed by Vanessa peeking over her shoulder and giving Sera a similar look of betrayal.

"For whatever your reasons you left and said some pretty damaging things. Quite frankly, I don't know why you cut ties with us. You didn't even come to William's funeral. Vanessa, busy as she was, made time to fly out. Sera what... what did we do? How did we fail you?"

Grunting softly, Sera glanced over her shoulder and gazed at the fierce flurry outside the window. A good length of time passed before Sera worked up the courage to confesses why she told Vanessa and Joyce why she was done with the trio and loving them like that. From there, the other two women learned about Sera's horrible marriage with James and how later on in her life, that she longed to restore what she had destroyed but felt like she didn't deserve their love and friendship anymore after everything that had happened between them. Though Vanessa understood Sera's side of things now, she still calmly pointed out that Sera shouldn't of said what she said back then because they all knew it was a lie from the start and that Sera loved them both very much and still did. Sera didn't deny this but she didn't admit to it either and to Joyce and Vanessa's disappointment, said no more the rest of the ride back to the studio.

* * *

Rachel and Chloe were still home, babysitting the house and were chilling in her room when they heard the front door open and their moms enter the house. At first, the girls weren't interested that their mothers were back and simply continued on with their own conversation.

"Where do you think she is?"

Rachel shrugged.

"Probably with Victoria."

Chloe slid off the bed and began to pace madly around the room.

"But we asked her and the rest of the Blackwell girls if Max was over there and no one replied. We even tried calling her phone and all we got was her snobby voice mail."

Rachel glanced up from her iPhone and stopped browsing through her contact list.

"I know Chloe but I'm telling you, I really think Max is-"

Rachel's words died hearing the older women blow up at each other seemingly out of no where.

"Don't you even try going there with me Caulfield! I'm not in the mood to babysit your sensitive emotions! Just admit it dove! You're only taking Max away because you're convinced Rachel's going to wreck her the way I wrecked you! You always were the weaker one in the group, big bark and not enough bite!"

"Ohh it's always _so much_ better when you're angry Sera! Your honesty just has such a beautiful way of pouring out. I guess when you walked away that night in Joyce's house we should of thrown something at the back of your head and got you riled up to figure out what was going on, huh?! Then again, we couldn't risk damaging the best bride-to-be now could we?! You and James really do deserve each other. Congratulations! You beat us up with your lies and rejection and James beat you to a pathetic pulp during your first years of marriage. Karma's a real pain isn't Amber?!"

Vanessa roared back, hitting each symbol like it was a punching bag.

"Eeeeeenough! Both of you stop it! Stop it right now!"

Joyce screamed and all at once, there was a loud, shocking noise that sounded like something being hit. Chloe guessed it was her mother's fists slamming down on the dinner table or maybe the wall.

"Whoa. What on earth?"

Chloe breathed, startled at the level of intensity their mother's argument was creating. Chloe locked her wide eyes with Rachel's, asking her through the silence what could of possibly of happened that got them so worked up. Eager to find out the answer, Rachel and Chloe looked to the door and after some deliberate hesitation, the two cautiously slicked towards it and cracked it open just enough to where they could stick their heads out to see. Chloe's room had a good view of the entire house and just so happened to be directly in front of the kitchen where the action was taking place.

"You know what? Screw you both! Maybe it's a good thing we broke up and went our separate ways. What ever was I thinking we could go back to the way things were between us?"

Vanessa hissed through clenched teeth and turned sharply away from the other two women.

"I have a daughter to go fetch. Please excuse me and my sensitive emotions as we leave the area."

Joyce rolled her eyes and looked up at the ceiling as if to beg for patience.

"Oh for crying out loud. Why do we have to go the hard way before making up? I swear you two are going to be the death of me."

She muttered, lowering her head and stepping around Sera so she could properly go after Vanessa. Feeling Joyce's finger curl around her forearm, Vanessa was spun around by Joyce and then gently shoved in Sera's direction. Vanessa stumbled and pitched forward, right at Sera. Vanessa caught herself and gradually started to back away from Sera when all of a sudden, Sera surprised the other two women by stepping in and wrapping her lean, strong arm around Vanessa's shoulders. Before Vanessa could react to what Joyce had done or give either of them a piece of her mind, Sera let her shields down and allowed herself a moment of weakness. Smiling just slightly, Sera dipped her head and pressed her lips gently against Vanessa's cheek.

"There. All better."

Sera leaned back and grinned at Vanessa. Stunned, Vanessa stared at Sera, mouth slightly open in shock. Feeling slightly snubbed and left out, Joyce walked over and with little effort on her part, pried Sera off of Vanessa so she could give Vanessa attention too. Joyce kissed Vanessa on the the opposite cheek. Vanesa blinked her eyes and continued to stare at Joyce even as Joyce pulled away to put some space between them.

"That seemed to have calmed her down, Sera. Good job. I like it when we're at peace with each other and _not_ fighting."

Joyce admitted softly, stepping back in to hug Vanessa. Joyce snaked one arm around Vanessa's waist while her free hand came up and cupped the side of Vanessa's face lovingly.

"You always did need the most pampering when we had fights, Vanessa."

Joyce muttered, stroking Vanessa's cheek in a motherly manner. Joyce was the eldest and often was the parental figure the other two looked up to. Years later, Joyce was glad to see she still had that effect on the other women.

"I can't help that I'm the weaker one..."

Vanessa whispered, leaning into Joyce's touch. Vanessa closed her eyes and smiled blissfully, feeling very loved and adored by Joyce in that moment. Her reaction caused a grin to form on Joyce's face and she was just as pleased to see Vanessa finally calmer. Sera hesitantly hugged Vanessa from the side and pulled her closer, selfishly desiring to touch her again. Since Vanessa was happy with Joyce merely stroking her face and keeping her eyes shut for the moment, Joyce turned her head and placed a tender kiss on Sera's cheek.

"You're difficult and have been nothing but a thorn in our sides over the years, but I still love you Sera. You may have walked away from our friendship ring, but I never stopped seeing you as a friend. So there."

Gasping in unison, Rachel and Chloe's mouths dropped wide open and they were sure if their jaws could stretch, they'd keep going until it hit the floor.

"Dude! _What the in the name of all that is American Rust!_ What the what?! Are you kidding me?! Why?! Where and when did this happen?!"

Chloe snapped her head over and gawked at Rachel, wide eyed, practically exploding with conflicted emotions over what she had just witnessed.

"A-Are you seeing this?"

Still overwhelmed by it all, Rachel remained mute and couldn't do anything apart from bob her head for a response.

"Max is gonna flip her lid."

Shaking her head in disbelief, Chloe took out her smartphone. Aiming it at just the right angles, she clicked the camera snap icon on her screen, stealing a few shots from where she stood and she too, struggled to get a grip and process what just happened. Just as Chloe was putting her phone away and shut the door and discuss with Rachel what they had seen between their mothers, they heard the front door softly groan open. Fearing it might be their fathers, Chloe and Rachel carefully exited Chloe's bedroom as to not disturb... whatever it was happening in the kitchen because if their fathers did come in caught their mothers, they didn't want to be around when it happened. Keeping safely out of view, Chloe and Rachel circled the living room, creeping stealthily towards the front door. Their faces lit up with excitement when they saw that it was Max herself who had come through the doorway. Head bowed, eyes closed, Max covered her mouth to muffle her yawn as she pulled the door shut carefully behind her. Max didn't want to draw attention to herself. Not yet anyway.

"Max! There's our all-star favorite hippie!"

Hearing Chloe's hushed whisper, Max slowly raised her head and blinked her burning, drowsy eyes at her roommates. Despite being able to camp out at Victoria's house, Max suffered two more anxiety attacks. They robbed her of sleep and left Max feeling like she hadn't slept in days, even though only one day had past since her time at Victoria's.

"Oh. Hey guys."

Out of habit, Max eased up and pecked their cheeks in greeting.

"Listen, before you say anything, let me go first? I'm really sorry if I worried you and the adults but I really needed to get away for a while. For the past day and a half I've been staying at Victor-"

Rachel and Chloe dismissed what Max was about to say with a wave of their hands, no longer interested in learning her secret whereabouts. She was home, she was safe and they had something far bigger to focus on now.

"Max, you're not going to believe this but guess what?"

Max looked a tad bit hopeful.

"My mom decided to let me stay?"

Sighing, they shook their heads, somewhat disappointed that Max didn't even attempt get more creative with her guesses after that. Unable to contain her optimism, Chloe gathered up Max's hands in her own and leaned in close, almost putting them nose-to-nose.

"Max. Our moms are like us."

Max squinted her one eye and raised a slow baffled eyebrow, not following what Chloe was saying in the least.

"Um... in what way?"

Chloe moved her head over and around to the side of Max's face whispered into her ear everything she and Rachel had seen just moments before Max came through the front door. Max blinked rapidly, unsure if she could bring herself to believe the story or not. Sensing her doubt, Chloe released Max's hands, took a step back and thrust her thumb over her shoulder, right in the general direction of the kitchen's entrance where their mothers were still at.

"Come with us and I'll prove it to you."

With nothing better to lose, Max shrugged, tossed her bag off to the side and obediently followed Rachel and Chloe into the kitchen where the older women were now nonchalantly standing in circle near the end of the diner table, talking much more calmly to one another.

"Hey Mom. Look who we found."

Chloe, wanting to have the element of surprise, allowed their mothers to think that she and Rachel recovered Max. After receiving their praise, Vanessa expressed her gratitude, openly thanking Chloe and Rachel for helping find her daughter and that is exactly when Chloe let the cat out of the bag, knowing it was going to change Max's situation for the better.

"That's not all we found. Was it Rachel?"

Smirking, Rachel crossed her arms and tipped her head at the older women.

"Nope. Chloe, can I see your phone please?"

"Certainly Rachel."

Chloe cheerfully replied and happily handed her smartphone over to Rachel's greedy outstretched hand. Tempted as she was do it, Rachel didn't destroy their mothers yet. First, she wanted to see if Vanessa would yield quietly. The minute Rachel spoke up about Max staying, Vanessa had a fit. Joyce and Sera had no issue, it was just Vanessa who didn't agree. Rachel put up with Vanessa's retaliation for a bout five minutes before sharing a smug look with Chloe.

"Ohhh I'm so sorry you feel that way Mrs. Caulfield. Here. Let me try rephrasing what I said another way."

"What are you-"

Vanessa was curtly interrupted by Chloe asking them to come into her bedroom to finish out the remainder of their conversation. Vanessa personally didn't understand why they couldn't just finish it out right there in the kitchen but when she tried to ask Chloe why she felt the need to talk in a bedroom, Chloe just wagged a finger as if to say, "Ahh-ah-ahh." and sweetly urged everyone to simply follow her lead. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Vanessa went with Sera and Joyce. They fell in line behind their daughters and ventured into Chloe's bedroom in a suspenseful silence. Once Chloe saw that they were all accounted for, she shut the door, locked it for special effect purposes, turned around and marched herself over to where they were all standing in the middle of the room. Nodding at Rachel to go ahead, Rachel cleared her throat held up a finger, gently gesturing for them to hold while she pulled up something on Chloe's smartphone. When she found what she was looking for, Rachel turned the phone around and using the same finger, pointed at the blown picture of Sera embracing Vanessa and kissing her on the cheek. It didn't take Max very long to react. Her long gasp, followed by her mouth falling open said it all. Speechless, Max glanced up from the screen to stare at her mother in disbelief with and a tad bit of fascination. Max, along with Chloe and Rachel couldn't help but notice how with the older women froze in place and audibly caught their breath. If their mute silence didn't give them away, their blazing red cheeks of embarrassment did. For the longest time, no one said a word and the mothers just stood there in a stupid trance, staring at the picture with raised eyebrows, pained expressions, lips tightly pressed together or lower lips being bit while their daughters glanced between them and the image on Chloe's smartphone every so often.

"Do we understand each other now?"

Chloe sweetly asked, casually moving her finger across the screen to reveal another photo of her own mother holding Vanessa along with Sera, who was still very much in front of Vanessa and leaning into what would have been a kiss on the forehead.

"What will father think?"

Rachel teased, battering her eyelashes playfully at Sera and offering her the most smart-alec smile she could muster, just to rub in the obvious truth Sera understood all too well without Rachel having to fill in the blanks for her. Joining in on the strategy Rachel's was setting into motion, Chloe looked right at her mother's flushed face and smugly added,

"Heh. You _know_ what David will think."

Max knew it was wrong to blackmail her mother but blast it all, she wanted to stay in L.A. and finish her schooling with her two best friends at her side. However, unlike Rachel and Chloe, Max threw in a little truth when she spoke her mind about the situation.

"Hmm... we all know what this is, as far as affection goes and reaping the benefits of such things but to dad, it's going to look like an affair. A really messed up, _bad_ affair."

In that moment, all the mothers had caught onto what their daughters were doing and it angered them for varies reasons. The main one being extortion. Vanessa, Sera and Joyce weren't stupid. They knew if their children wanted something from them in the future and they told them no, all their girls would have to do is use those photos and bam, they would do whatever or grant whatever. All in the name of keeping what they had under wraps.

"You wouldn't..."

Joyce muttered, eyeing Chloe closely, knowing full well that they would if given the chance.

"Let Max stay and we'll delete the photos."

Rachel retorted, finding her terms fair and quite reasonable. Vanessa came out of her shock and quickly shot Max a dirty look of disapproval and betrayal, yet Max stood there between Rachel and Chloe, completely at ease with what was happening.

"Maxine you're moving out and that's-"

Sera whipped her head around and stared hard at Vanessa, contemplating on tackling her to the floor or the wall. Since the wall was closer, Sera lowered her upper body and literally rammed Vanessa into a wall for the second time that day beside her and pinned Vanessa's squirming body underneath her. Feeling that her daughter was offering them a wonderful deal, she, right in front of Joyce and the girls, kissed Vanessa on the cheek and allowed her lips to linger there as she calmly expressed her thoughts to her.

"See? This is what we get for letting our guard down. You like being able to do this, I know you do. It'll all go away if you don't corporate."

Feeling another blush starting to build and crawl up her neck, Vanessa jerked her face to side and roughly shoved Sera off of her.

"Sera!"

She growled through clenched teeth.

"I'm aware of that but you can't honestly expect me to just-"

Sera rolled her eyes, leaned back into Vanessa and nuzzled the side of her neck, knowing it would make Vanessa go weak in the knees and cling to her frame to keep herself from falling down. Sure enough, that's exactly what happened. With her quiet, Sera attempted to reason with Vanessa some more.

"Think about it Caulfield. Everything we have as soulmates would cease to matter once they expose us to our husbands. Like Max said, we're not cheating on them. We just happen to be really open with expressing our affection to each other but the boys just won't see it like that. You can't blame them either. It does look bad even though we all know what they'd see is not the truth, physically the appearance of what we're doing won't go over well."

Without taking her eyes off the older women, Max reached over with her arm and took Chloe's smartphone out of Rachel's hand and took a picture, just because it felt so good to see it then snap it as proof. Max strangely felt powerful because it and it pleased her greatly. Hearing their daughters snicker Vanessa knew Sera was right and she should dismiss the notion of taking Max home but her pride just wouldn't let her do it. As if knowing that was the whole reason for the delay, Sera's hands caught Vanessa's face and she made Vanessa acknowledge her presence, authority and all.

"You know the men won't understand! It's not worth it Ness. Just... Just let her stay. Okay? I just got you blokes back."

Sera blinked, diverted her eyes away for a brief moment then darted her eyes back to Vanessa's disturbed face.

"Er, kind of and I don't want to loose you guys again before having a chance to explain myself."

Vanessa looked past Sera and at Joyce for help but Joyce held up a hand and firmly shook her head in disagreement.

"I'm not in this. You know my feelings on the issue. As far as our holy affection being exploited goes... the men won't understand it. No one can understand it unless they see it purely and I don't think our husbands will get it. I'm not ashamed, none of us have reason to be ashamed but they just won't understand it so maybe it's time to let go and accept defeat?"

Sighing loudly, Vanessa gently broke away from Sera and made sure to put some distance between them. Squaring her shoulders, she gazed at the girls, finding the whole situation ridiculous. Max, Rachel and Chloe stood there, all with arched eyebrows and arms crossed triumphantly across their chests with smug grins on their face. Her nerves shot to pieces, Vanessa exhaled through flares nostrils, closed her eyes in defeat, then she slowly nodded her head, muttering three words that made Max's day.

"She can... stay."

Despite just embarrassing their mothers and using crucial information to their advantage, the girls ran at the older women and flung their arms around their necks, hugging them as hard as they could. Words could not express the joy they were feeling so they remained quiet and just buried their noses into their mother's chests and did their best to cover up the tears of joy that were forming. Rachel didn't think she'd get emotional over something as simple as getting Vanessa to say yes but she shed tears the hardest. Naturally when the soft whimpers of their children filled the room, maternal instincts took over and each mother bowed their heads and wrapped their arms tightly around their daughters.

"Come on now. Don't cry. You challenge us to our faces and display beautiful gusto and ruin it with water works? You're an Amber, shake it off."

Sera was just giving Rachel a hard time and Rachel knew that and yet she used what had happened as a excuse remain in her mother's loving embrace so she could be pampered a little bit longer. Max and Chloe felt the same way and continued to stand there, sagged against their mothers, eyes clutched shut and bodies trembling slightly by as they sobbed in their mother's necks.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, after everyone had settled down and gotten a grip on their emotions, Joyce sent out a group text message to David, Ryan and James's phone, explaining that Max had come home and been dropped off by a friend and that they could come home. When the men were safely back at the studio, Vanessa pulled Ryan aside and confessed that there was a change in plans and that Max would not be going back home and neither would they.

"So does that mean we're going to stay until New Years after all?"

Vanessa nodded.

"Yes."

Glad that his wife was back to normal, he wrapped his arms around her shoulder and began to tell her about some of the places he saw while out looking for Max and how he wanted to go visit the locations with her one day if the weather was reasonable. With things finally under control and Max safely back home, David felt better about asking Joyce if they could go back to the hotel and call it day. He wanted to stay a bit longer and socialize but after riding around in the cab with James for three hours and listening to him complain about everything that displeased him, David suddenly had a better respect for Max for sneaking out of the house and running off. Granted it still would of been nice if she left a note to give them peace of mind but he totally saw why she left and didn't come back until now. Joyce understood where David was coming from completely and she as more than willing, to say her goodbyes and head back to hotel with him. One would think James, after being out in the cold as long as he was, would want to stay home and warm up a bit. Instead, he called for his wife and told her, not ask, told her they were going out to eat without or without Rachel joining them. Sera went with him of course, praying that the weather wouldn't do too much damage while they were out and about so they didn't wind up stranded somewhere.

While everyone was busy going off and doing what they wanted, Chloe and Rachel quietly slipped away with Max, knowing she was exhausted and needed to lay down. They entered her bedroom but stopped short, noticing that the bed was in disarray and the pillows were strewn across the floor. Out of the kindness of her heart, Chloe asked Max to wait beside Rachel while she gathered the pillows and placed them on the bed and straightened out the sheets. Once finished, the three of them crawled on top of the freshly made bed and curled up with each other. Max was already falling into a deep sleep when she felt strong arms snake around her waist and pull forward while another set of arms tugged her backwards. Closing her eyes Max smiled to herself, aware of what was happening. Chloe and Rachel were snuggling her, giving her attention in all the right places and Max allowed them to continue their tug-of-war, enjoying the feel of being pressed between their bodies. She felt Chloe sag into her a good while later and instinctively Max's own arms went around Chloe's neck and no sooner after she did this, Rachel snuggled deeper into her backside like it was the most natural thing in the world. Content, Max sighed deeply and buried her nose in Chloe's soft skin, unable to help herself from hugging Chloe closer. Max hated that she went through a rough two days but right now, at that moment, her entire universe withered away until it was just the three of them. Having Chloe and Rachel like to herself, that intimate with her arms wrapped around Chloe's neck and Rachel holding her from behind, smelling them everywhere was just what Max needed. Smiling slightly, Max gently nuzzled into Chloe's chest and let the combined snoring of her roommates lure her to sleep.


	9. Episode 9: Amends

It was Christmas Eve and everyone was gone, excluding the two women who chose to stay behind and discuss some personal matters of the past. Joyce, David and Ryan went grocery shopping well over an hour ago, James decided he would pay Clare a visit at her estate, the girls had just left a little bit go, saying they were going to go hang out at Victoria's house and would be back later. Sera and Vanessa were the only two souls left in the studio and they used that to their advantage. Sera had taken to drinking ever since she was young and drank all throughout her academic career. The drinking got worse as her marriage started to fall apart but she hid her addiction well from her family. Where it was just Vanessa, Sera didn't feel the need to keep it secluded and openly planned to drink herself into a stupor. Vanessa was not a heavy drinker but she did indulge a little bit every so often. It had been a long time since Vanessa had a good drink so when Sera brought out the two bottles of whiskey from her room and offered one to Vanessa, Vanessa took hers without complaint. Taking hold of the whiskey bottle, they both gasped softly when their hands touched. Sera made the mistake of letting her guard down and looking directly into Vanessa's eyes. Without realizing it, Sera started to graze Vanessa's hand with her fingers then randomly remembered where she was and quickly withdrew her hand, hating how her chest swelled with longing for Vanessa. Vanessa took note of Sera's reaction but made sure to not let herself show any signs how the succinct touching of their hands made her feel.

"So."

Sera sighed, taking a seat beside Vanessa.

"You want me to go first or what?"

Vanessa poured her first shot and mulled the suggestion over in her head a few times.

"I'll go first."

She finally said, downing the shot and already in the process of pouring herself another. Sera waited for Vanessa to start talking, already annoyed with herself. Here all this time had past and despite her efforts to forget about her soulmate relationship to Vanessa, she hadn't been able to do it completely and that brief encounter of their hands touching proved to Sera that she still cared whether she was woman enough to admit it to herself or not.

"Sera, I want to know why you thought it was good idea to get that close, earn our favor and trust then think you could walk away like nothing ever happened between the three of us."

Vanessa's features hardened, as did her voice.

"We were best friends, we loved each other unconditionally then you up and decide one day, you don't want do be part of the group anymore and that our love for each other was artificial?"

Glancing up from her shot glass, Vanessa arched an eyebrow.

"Really Sera? You mean to tell me in those three years that we grew together at Hearst High, that every touch, every hug, every gesture, every cuddle session, every sleep over, every laugh that fell from our mouths, was artificial? Fake and empty without meaning?"

Releasing a heavy sigh, Sera poured herself a glass of whiskey, struggling to find the right words to say back to Vanessa.

"No. There was nothing spurious about it. I knew better."

Sera finally admitted, slowly setting her shot glass down and took a moment assess the woman sitting in the chair beside her. She sipped at her whiskey, watching Vanessa from the corner of her eye. Feeling Sera's stare, Vanessa looked over at her with some vague interest but as usual, Sera glanced away, cutting off the start of what could of been a subtle advancement on her end.

"I don't have a good excuse to give you Vanessa."

Sera quietly commented, forcing herself to look back at Vanessa to see how she would react. With Sera addressing her directly again, it gave Vanessa hope for them, even if it was just for a moment.

"Try to think of one then. The crap you've pulled and all the stuff you said to me and Joyce that day. I think you owe me-"

Vanessa stopped in the middle of her sentence, realizing she was starting to bear the burden of what happened by herself when in reality, it was a group issue. Not wanting to be selfish about it, Vanessa cleared her throat and corrected the error.

"We deserve an explanation of some kind, Sera."

Weary of the repetitive motion of pouring the whiskey into the shot glass before taking a swig, Vanessa pushed her shot glass off to the side and resorted to drinking straight out of the bottle. Impressed with her gall to do such a thing, Sera turned her head just slightly, watching in silence as Vanessa drank the whiskey down in large gulps.

Geeze. Even pissed she's cute.

Sera didn't dismiss the loose thought. She had made a habit of doing such things in the past but not anymore.

"You want a reason for my pusillanimity?"

Sera asked, trailing her blue eyes from Vanessa's face and down to where her hand was laying clenched on top of the table. Just from looking at that balled up fist, Sera could tell Vanessa was furious. Outwardly, she kept a calm, polite profile but Sera knew she was screaming silently, possibly on the brink of tears. Tears that Sera was solely responsible for.

"It'd be nice."

Vanessa muttered against the rim of the bottle, taking another long drink of the whiskey. Suddenly short on air, Vanessa took one gulp too much and had no choice but to pull away so she could catch her breath. One would think Vanessa would call it quits and allow her protesting stomach a break but she ignored the pangs of nausea and raised the whiskey bottle back up to her mouth to take another sip.

"I just used that as my scapegoat. To be completely honest... I was scared of it."

Vanessa stared at Sera across the rim of the whiskey bottle, surprised by Sera's confession.

"No."

Sera disagreed, shaking her head as if to clear it.

"Scared is putting it lightly. I was petrified by the insane depth to our love the three of us shared with each other. I mean, despite what it came across physically to the naked eye, I understood what we had just fine. But at the same time I had no where to put it and that's what stumped me the most. If I could apply a label to it, I could understand it but that's just it Vanessa, there was no words to describe it. We weren't lesbians, we had no sexual desire to sleep with each other whatsoever. We weren't bisexual because when we started dating our husbands the feelings we had for them was not the same feelings we had for each other and yet we still had this insane drive to cherish each other with affection? Ness that really screwed with my head... more than I was willing to admit to you, Joyce or to myself."

Sera paused and looked up at the ceiling, mentally searching for the right way to describe what she was feeling in that moment.

"It was like... our chemistry found a whole new way to advertise itself but we never went further. Sexually speaking I mean. When I sat down and thought it all through, I realized what we had went beyond the physical pleasures of this world but was such a thing possible? Was it really okay to have that? I was so confused by it all I didn't want to risk it becoming more than what it already was because I wanted our friendship to stay in tact."

Sera raised her shot glass and quickly polished off her own whiskey. It burned something awful but oh how she rolled in the fiery sensation spreading in her chest and down into the pit of her stomach.

"Even though we were on a pretty amazing high of... of whatever it was we were experiencing, the fear persisted so rather than enjoy it for what it was or motivate myself to understand it better, I just... ran away and forsook it and our friendship along with it."

Sera sighed and took another shot of her whiskey.

"Even though that was the last thing I wanted, I did it thinking what I was feeling for you both would die and go away. But it didn't. It just got worse and I'm convinced even if James was a better man and our marriage blossomed from the start, I'd still have these feelings because you're not my other half... I never swore by that type of fate."

Minding her whiskey bottle and shot glass, Sera rested her arms on the table, her hands clasped against each other.

"But you are a part of my heart, one of the many people I hold dear and regret letting go if that's any consolation?"

"So let me get this straight."

Vanessa's voice was starting to sound lazy but every word that proceeded from her mouth was clear and quite sound in pronunciation.

"You deliberately lied to us, purposely hurt me and hurt Joyce over those lies then turn around and run off with James as a result because it was easier for you? All right, pushing that and James aside, you jeopardized our friendship due to fear of the unknown? I can understand that Sera, to a point but... I don't know if I should be insulted, disturbed or both. Staying away because you were freaked out is one thing but you chose to be with James and use him as your crutch and somehow that in itself is really insulting. Sera, you hated him. You complained about your arranged marriage to James all the time and told me and Joyce on multiple occasions the moment you saw an open door, you'd run through it without a second glance."

Sera sighed, already dreading the direction their talk was headed.

"I can't say anything to defend my cowardliness, but James was not my choice. Arranged marriages rarely are Vanessa and by the time I could do something about it, my priorities... had changed, to say the least."

"Okay, fine. Your values changed over time. That's normal, but you can't sit there and tell me you enjoyed being married to that jerk and suffered his abuse?"

Sera felt a flush creep up her neck and settle in her cheeks.

"No. Of course not. Arranged marriage or not, I wasn't in a safe position to do anything. James was beating me and made it pretty clear he would kill me if I breathed a word of what was going in the dark, even if it was to my own parents. Then I got pregnant and became a mother and had that to deal with that on top of everything. By the time I threatened to use divorce, he was so disappointed with his whores not being able to bear him a male heir, he formally apologized for all the things he had said and done to me but I knew deep down he just didn't want to look bad to the public. Either way, the beatings stopped and the fights eased up. Only problem was, Rachel had grown up and moved out of the house and I... somewhere, somehow, had truly fallen in love with him but at the same time, I couldn't stand the man he was back then and still is to this day. Now to James's credit, he is better than he used to be and has finally realized that he screwed up with Rachel and wants to fix things."

"Not a phone call, text, or e-mail. I did all those things for you, but you ignored me and I'm pretty sure you gave Joyce the same treatment. Why? Same reasons from earlier?"

Vanessa quickly went right onto the next issue between her and Sera and decided to let the whole James situation alone for the time being. Slotting her eyes half way in thought, Sera cocked her head and cast Vanessa curious look.

"Did you desire my touch that badly?"

Sera asked, holding back the urge to chuckle her amusement. Vanessa had to put the whiskey bottle down so she didn't accidentally spill it over herself as she threw her head back and erupted with laughter. Sera grimaced hearing it. Vanessa's laughter wasn't warm or a remotely pleasing noise to hear because it was cased with edgy bitterness.

"Amber. Please. I'm not that desperate. I didn't desire your touch as much as I did your honesty."

The whole time the two spoke back and forth Sera's eyes never left Vanessa's face but Vanessa didn't look in Sera's direction until she felt like she could hold her own without the urge to do something she'd regret. Such as hit her or strangle her to death. Three, painful hours later, the two were nicely intoxicated and had reached a reasonable conclusion, even though it was still a little uncomfortable to be around each other at least now they had dealt with the core issue of their problem.

"Why did you bring that stuff anyway? Did you intend to get drunk by yourself?"

Vanessa asked, twirling Sera's empty bottle of whiskey with her finger as she studied the company's logo engraved on the label.

"See, you drank that night before coming over to Joyce's house... this is what I get to thank for the mess you made that night. You were soooo drunk. I mean, I can see why now. You were abandoning your soulmates for a life of heartache and loneliness."

Lifting a heavy head, Sera turned in her seat grabbed the empty whiskey bottle out of Vanessa's hand, indignation written across her delicate features.

"Enough about that Ness."

Sera garbled, sitting back in her chair and lazily running her fingers across the letters in the glass.

"I said I was sorry. How many times do I have to grovel and beg for your forgiveness before you'll let this all go?"

Vanessa gazed deeply into Sera's eyes and smirked.

"Why let it go when it's so effective in making you feel guilty?"

Sera rolled her eyes, indulging in the feel of her head swimming in an alcohol induced haze.

"You're merciless, you know that?"

Sera complained but quickly had to close her mouth to keep a hiccup from escaping. When the painful motion to do it again passed, Sera sat up straighter in her chair and rested her elbow on the table. No longer interested in the empty whiskey bottle, she pushed it back, towards Vanessa and gradually met Vanessa's amused stare.

"What?"

Sera frowned, noticing the faint smile on Vanessa's lips.

"You're blushing."

Sera was pretty she wasn't but just in case, she prompted Vanessa again.

"You sure?"

Vanessa narrowed her eyes mischievously and invaded Sera's personal space. Once she was close enough, Vanessa raised her hand and gently patted Sera's cheek.

"Yep. Positive. Sure you're not desperate for my touch? Because if memory serves, you would always blush before you would kiss me and the reason for that was simple. Being able to express affection to me or Joyce made you so happy, you just developed an odd habit of blushing and that's why I'm thinking this blush means right now."

Sera blinked rapidly, gawking at Vanessa in disbelief.

"That's not what my blushes mean."

Chuckling, Vanessa slowly withdrew to sit back down in her chair.

"Sera, I know you. When it comes to me or Joyce, drunk or not, when you get in a mood, your body betrays your lips every time. You can say whatever you want, I know better."

Sera glanced to the side, considering Vanessa's statement.

"You... remember such things?"

Vanessa nodded with some mild difficulty. Her head was spinning and it was steadily getting harder to balance her physical responses.

"Of course I do."

Vanessa's eyes softened and when Sera looked back around, she found herself getting lost under Vanessa's intense gaze.

"I'm you're soulmate. I don't forget details like that."

Sera tipped her head back and gave a merry laugh. As much as she wanted to dismiss the comment, she found it sound and truthful.

"Okay. That may be so but I assure you, I don't want to kiss you."

Sera retorted with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"I still disagree with you on that one Sera. Sorry."

Sera crossed her arms in a silent challenge.

"I beg to differ. I think you're just saying that to get me to think that when in reality, it's you who wants to be kissed."

Vanessa drummed her fingers on the table, flashing Sera an impish smile.

"All right Sera."

Gripping the edge of the table, Vanessa slowly stood up. Everything was reeling together and her vision was starting to blur in and out of focus, but oddly enough, Vanessa was okay with that.

"Prove you don't want to kiss me. If you're not blushing for old times sake for the reasons I know, then sit right there and don't bother getting up."

Vanessa glanced slothfully over her shoulder.

"But ten bucks says by the time I get to Max's room, you'll be on your feet and trying to get to me."

Vanessa turned, carefully walked out of the kitchen and towards Max's bedroom. Raising her eyes, Sera watched Vanessa stumble out of her view then glanced right of her to gaze at the empty bottles of whiskey, now concerned that she may have gotten herself between a rock and a hard place.

 _We just made up. Is now really the time to rekindle our soulmate friendship? Plus, she's wasted and so am I. It's not like we'll remember any of this when the booze wears off. Well, we will but not the things that make it meaningful. Like silly talks, cuddling and day dreaming about stupid stuff...and..._

Sera looked down at herself and studied her clutched fists on her lap. After careful consideration and weighing her options, Sera raised her head and eyed Vanessa with a small amount of anticipation. Sure enough, Vanessa was just about to Max's bedroom and for the first time in twenty some plus years Sera was honest with herself and did something she had been denying herself for far too long.

 _Who am I kidding?_

Sera shook her head, scolding herself.

 _I love her. I love Joyce, I miss what we had and as of right now, I am going to enjoy what little bit of dignity I have left and fix the bridge I burned down and run across it into their arms. Starting with Vanessa's._

Sera carefully scooted her chair out and stood up. It took some focus and a little bit of effort to get herself to walk in a straight line, but when she reached Vanessa and hugged her from behind, both women's eyes fluttered shut and they released heavy sighs, relieved of the pressure that had haunted them for so many years.

"You owe me ten bucks Amber. But the money can wait."

Vanessa shifted around in Sera's embrace so she could drape her own arms around Sera's neck. Sera grinned a little at the playful gleam dancing in Vanessa's slanting eyes. The alcohol was making them both sleepy but they fought the call to oblivion so they could continue playing.

"Sera."

Vanessa timidly began.

"Sera listen. I-"

"Shhh. Ness."

Sera gently pressed her forehead into Vanessa's, loving the feel of having Vanessa so close to her again. She missed that.

"Don't ruin this with words."

Came the hushed reply from Sera who was trying her hardest to walk them backwards into Max's bedroom, little by little. Realizing the door was wide open, Sera released Vanessa momentarily to go shut it. Not only did she close the door, she locked it.

"We wouldn't want to give our daughters another opportunity to take a secret photo and use it against us in the future now would we?"

Vanessa just gave Sera a knowing smile. Free of excess worry, Sera resumed her position in front of Vanessa.

"Now. Where were we?"

Vanessa raised her hands gently took hold of Sera's forearms.

"I believe you were about to maybe ask for forgiveness of hurting me in the past?"

Sera raised an confident eyebrow.

"Oh right. I was going to do something humbling like that, wasn't I?"

Happy to finally be relished by Sera, Vanessa slowed her breathing, wondering when they were going to hit the bed. The very second Vanessa felt the edge of the mattress graze the back of her legs, she pulled Sera down on top of her to surprise Sera. Not expecting it, Sera lost what little bit of balance she had going on for her and went down, landing sloppily on top of Vanessa. There was dramatic pause then the two of them burst out laughing, thankful that it was just the two of them and that no one else was around to witness their silliness. Slightly dazed from the fall, Sera took a minute to regain her bearings. Noting her struggle, Vanessa caught Sera's face and looked up at her, a little dizzy herself from the collision.

"Are you all right?"

Sera didn't respond right away. Concerned that her little stunt might of thrown her drunken soulmate into shock, Vanessa began to caress the side of Sera's face, hoping the action would soothe her.

"Sera?"

Vanessa whispered.

"Did I hurt you?"

Vanessa tried keep her focus but it was hard to do with the alcohol forcing its effects upon her senses.

"Well, did I?"

Vanessa asked, searching Sera's face for a answer of some kind. With Sera laying directly on top of her, Vanessa could feel Sera's chest rise and fall rapidly from exertion.

"No. You didn't hurt me. I just forgot how strong you can be. Especially when you want my attention. So. Demanding. Even this old."

Sera studied Vanessa's face for a moment then features hardened and Vanessa noticed the change.

"I know this is late coming, but I'm very sorry and know that I love you. I never stopped loving you or Joyce. I still want to be your best friend, if you'll have me?"

Vanessa grinned and suddenly felt like she was on top of the world hearing Sera say those words.

"Of course. I never disowned you. You did that to us, remember? Now let's play, like when we were kids! It'll be fun."

Sera held her breath at the soft spoken request and looked down at their bodies, aware that Vanessa's thighs were resting on either side of her hips, making it impossible for her to get away.

"Like when we were kids?"

Vanessa nodded distractedly, practically dizzy with the prospect of being cherished and adored by Sera. Taking a deep breath, Sera gradually lowered her head and Vanessa in turn, raised hers up off the pillows to meet Sera in the middle. The women drew closer but had to be careful so they wouldn't lose their balance. Raising her arm, one of Sera's hands wrapped around the back of Vanessa's neck and the finger tips began to skillfully massage around her neckline and up around the back of her earlobe. Muttering something Vanessa couldn't quite understand, Sera moved her head lower and kissed Vanessa on the forehead.

"There. Will that work?"

Instinctively, the two took turns nuzzling and tickling eahc other. Brief as the affection was, Vanessa greedily pleaded for more attention even though she knew it was selfish on her part she honestly couldn't help it. After everything that was said and done, she wanted to spoil herself, in fear that they might not ever get another chance to be together like that for another extended period of time.

"I want to do it again. It was relaxing so, humor me and let's do it again."

Vanessa whispered into Sera's ear and Sera grinned, amused at the slurred, velvet voice that always found a way to break her every single time.

"Okay, okay. I swear you can be so impenitent."

Sera muttered, leaning back in to peck Vanessa on the cheek.

"Hey. Remember what this does to you?"

"Remember what what does to m-"

Vanessa abruptly stiffened upon feeling Sera nuzzling into her neck. Vanessa gasped, not expecting it.

"Ohhh."

Vanessa breathed and began squirm restlessly under Sera, already delirious from the tickle sensations.

"T-That. That's low, going for my weakness like that."

Sera chuckled, leaning out of Vanessa's neck.

"Can I just say, I love how this relaxes you? Do you let Ryan do this to you or was it just our little thing?"

Taking a deep breath, Vanessa inhaled the beautiful scent of Sera's soft hair as Sera took the liberty of kissing Vanessa on the cheek again in playful a frenzy that only came from countless years of absence.

"Yes I allow Ryan to cuddle me there but this is our thing too. You found it first before he did, so it's our tradition by default."

Vanessa mumbled and watched Sera dip her head. Sera buried her face into Vanessa's hair but she stopped mid-way in the action and leaned back. The long sleeved sweater was proving to be too much for Sera. Annoyed, Sera paused in the midst of their cuddling so she could take it off. Vanessa, drunk as she was, understood what was happening and waited for Sera to discard the article of clothing in a happy remote silence.

"Hold on. This is killing me."

Sera gently instructed, crossing her arms to the hem of her shirt and lifting it over her stomach as quickly as she could. Once the sweater was off and she was in her tank top, Sera tossed the sweater somewhere behind her, not caring where it landed. Her white tank top was thinner and didn't hold in heat like the black turtle neck sweater had done.

"That's better."

Much more comfortable, Sera nestled down beside Vanessa, smiled faintly at her friend and opened her arms in invitation. Vanessa grinned and inched closer. They hugged each other and stayed like that, so happy to be reunited. Their eyes fluttered shut and they were about to fall asleep when suddenly, a soft voice called out,

"Sera? Sera are you here?"

Sera froze, unsure if she heard correctly.

"Who is that?"

Vanessa half asked, half yawned then shook her head to clear it.

"I don't know."

Sera whispered, hating that her own voice sounded no better than Vanessa's at this point.

"Vanessa? Where are you?"

Out of nowhere, two deep voices resonated through the living room, each calling out to their respectful spouses. This time, Vanessa froze. Swallowing a nervous lump, Sera looked over at Vanessa and their eyes gradually widened. Ever so slowly, they turned their heads in the direction of the door, staring as if they'd never seen a door before, let alone heard someone say their names.

"Vanessa, Sera? What the... I have no idea where they are. Maybe they're laying down?"

"What makes you say that?"

Vanessa heard Ryan ask.

"Because there's two empty bottles whiskey over there on the table and they're nowhere to be found?"

That without shadow of a doubt was Joyce and from the sound of it, she was standing right outside the door.

"Great. Now I have to get up."

Sera quietly growled, getting up off Vanessa and moving away from the bed. That was a mistake. She was twice as lightheaded and was incapable of balancing herself. Groaning softly, Sera swayed on her feet but she didn't let that stop her from scanning the room for her sweater as Vanessa jumped up and began to fix her appearance with her hands. Both women were irritated and frustrated now and they weren't sure what made them angrier. The fact that they had just gotten to that turning point in their friendship after so long and were enjoying each other's company or having Joyce and the men saunter into the house and interrupt them. Either way, Sera and Vanessa couldn't do anything about it. Unable to find her shirt, Sera gave up trying to look for it and started to go back towards the bed to lie down in defeat. Steadying her breathing, she was just about to sit but huffed loudly in annoyance a moment later when Joyce began to knock on the door.

"Vanessa are you in there?"

Joyce continued knocking impatiently and called out to Vanessa again while James searched Rachel's room to see if Sera had gone to lie down in there. Rolling her eyes, Sera got back up, deciding to go along with Vanessa after all and together, the two older women ambled over to the door and even though they were leaning against each other for support, they staggered horribly. As much as Vanessa wanted to walk out of Max's bedroom like a boss, she knew she'd fall flat on her face. Sera was in the same boat. Hopefully no one would suspect anything outside of just having too much to drink.

"Yes Joyce. I'm here. Sera is too."

Vanessa muttered, blindly reaching out to search for the door knob so she could open the door for Joyce.

"Sera?"

Joyce echoed, sounding surprised.

"Yep. Hold on sec, would you?"

Before Joyce could say any more, the door creaked open and she had the pleasure of greeting them but stopped short when she realized both women were heavily wasted. So many, many questions were racing through Joyce's mind as to how and why. Befuddled, Joyce glanced between them, unsure if she wanted to know why they were drunk and how they wound up together in Max's bedroom.

"What in heaven's name happened to the two of you?"

Joyce asked a moment later, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the look of frustration written on Sera's face.

"Wait. Let me guess. You got into another fight and somehow, sorted it out through a drinking contest?"

"Something along those lines."

Sera offered the first attempt at explaining the reason for their intoxication.

"Vanessa there you are. So, you were lying down then?"

Ryan asked, coming over to stand beside Joyce and inspect the two women for himself then made a perfect pivot on his heel when he saw Sera.

"James I found your wife."

Ryan remarked as he blindly went into the living room to park himself on the couch. Without leaving Rachel's bedroom, James remained put on the bed and bent over to untie his shoe laces. Visiting Clare had taken energy. All he wanted to do now was get a good nap in.

"Thank you. As long as she's safe and not out causing trouble like our meddlesome daughter, I'm fine."

Content with himself, Ryan patted the couch for the remote, curious to see if the team he liked was playing that day. David was still getting more bags of groceries and was oblivious to Joyce's panic.

"Mmm, c'mere here you."

Sera mumbled, letting go of Vanessa without warning so she could lean into Joyce and embrace her. Vanessa almost fell over but quickly regained her footing and found the wall to slump against as a substitute. Now with Joyce in her custody, Sera dipped her head and gave her a messy kiss on the cheek. A few seconds passed and Sera's mouth remained gently pressed against but Joyce's cheek as Joyce's lips parted in shock and her eyes slowly widened. All at once, Joyce understood why Sera and Vanessa were alone in Max's room. Alarmed that someone might see, Joyce jerked her head to the side, broke the kiss and rushed Sera back into the bedroom just in the nick of time. Arms weighed down by varies bags of groceries, David had just stepped through the door. If they had been just one second later, he would of caught them and Joyce didn't feel like trying to explain the situation when she didn't fully understand why it was happening herself. That and she feared the men wouldn't see their affection as mere play and assume something awful was going on.

"Sera just what on earth do you think you're doing? After all we went through to get the girls to delete those photos and here you two are, drunk and parading around like a bunch of idiots."

Joyce whispered frantically so their husbands wouldn't hear them. Without warning, both Sera and Vanessa hit their knees then fell onto their sides, out cold. Glancing at Vanessa sprawled out near the wall, then Sera laying at her feet, Joyce threw her arms up in frustration then dropped them dramatically. Raising her hand and pitching the bridge of her nose, she sighed loudly, unsure of what to think of the situation.

"You two are..."

Joyce trialed off, looking between them a second time.

"Utterly hopeless."

Because she was their friend, because she cared about them, Joyce picked up Vanessa first, took her over to Max's bed then gently laid Vanessa down on her side. Before retrieving Sera, Joyce did herself a favor and opened the door so she didn't have to worry about balancing Sera and trying to get the door to open at the same time.

"All right Sera, let's get you to your bed."

Stooping down, Joyce carefully gathered Sera up in her arms, surprised that she could still lift Sera like it was nothing after all those years.

"Sometimes, I don't know who's worse. Our girls, you and Ness or both."

Laughing softly under her breath, Joyce exited Max's bedroom and carefully made her way down the hall to Rachel's room, deciding that they were all trouble at times and a handful to deal with... but at the same time, they were all hers to look after and Joyce was okay with that.


	10. Episode 10: Freedom (Sera Amber)

Talking with Vanessa and being able to ravish her like we used to when we were kids felt amazing. Fixing some of the damage between us gave me hope for Joyce and helped me build up the courage to seek her out and apologize to her. I didn't know what I was going to say or how to sum up everything I've been doing all these years while she and Vanessa were in the dark, but before this holiday vacation was over I was going to confess the truth to both of them. They weren't going to like it, that much I was sure about but like Vanessa told me yesterday... she and Joyce deserved an explanation for what I had done to them in the past.

First things first. I needed to clear the water with Joyce and ask for her forgiveness. That day we got caught by our girls doesn't count. Yes we had argued and came to a mutual agreement between the three of us and Joyce appeared to be at peace with me but at that point, I was just acting of desperation. I wanted Vanessa to shut up and Joyce to get off my back. Even though my and Joyce's playful advances on Vanessa were genuine, the situation was very serious and I didn't want Rachel, Chloe or Max for that matter, to draw their own conclusions without understanding the situation for what it was. Now here I am, hung over and sitting at the kitchen table, staring at my untouched plate of food through bleary eyes and fighting off every sound that always manged to somehow make me cringe and feel like my skull was about to bust open. Joyce was kind enough to make me this food and brew some coffee for us to drink but I just couldn't bring myself to eat or sip on the stuff. I think... once I start talking to her, I'll feel better about our situation and then maybe I'll be able to stomach the food.

"Sooo..."

Joyce quietly began, drawing out the word deliberately.

"Vanessa said you had something you wanted to say to me?"

Raising my head, I locked my blood shot eyes with her gentle ones, saw her lower her mug of coffee and smile and I literally almost broke into a sea of tears right then and there. Why did Joyce have to be so _good_ at being _her?_ Kind, patient, loyal, understanding... and so many more things that makes me blush from shame because I know I have none of her positive qualities going for me. I never have and unless I get away from James, I probably never will.

"Yes. That's right."

I confirmed, averting my eyes away from hers.

"Sera. What's wrong?"

Her hand reached across the table and rested over mine and instantly, I tensed in my sit. Even her _touch_ is the same and makes me feel comforted and it was almost like no time had passed between the two of us at all.

"Everything."

I finally mumbled, setting my gaze on her once more.

"Well..."

Joyce sighed, removing her hand off of mine.

"Vanessa and Ryan are on a date, James is driving around like he owns this area and has every right in the world to do it, David is out bonding with Chloe, Rachel and your sister are on a shopping spree buying supplies for the studio and booze for the upcoming new year in a few weeks and Max is passed out on the couch. You couldn't ask for a better set up to have me all to yourself. Now I agreed to stay here today and took Vanessa up on her suggestion to talk with you because I honestly believe you have something to say. So do us both a favor and get down to the nitty gritty. Otherwise, we're burning daylight and I actually have some things I'd like to do today so-"

"Forgiven me! It was my fault! All of it!"

I blurted it out before I could even think about what I was really doing. Startled, Joyce blinked and arched her neck back in shock.

"And I am _so_ sorry that I hurt you Vanessa back then. My life has been so horrible Joyce. You don't even know... neither you or Vanessa knew the depth to my hell back when we were kids and even now, I'm still fighting on how to reveal these things to you. The only good thing that came out my youth, that I've chosen for myself and found genuine happiness in, was our soulmate hood. It was only blessing that truly made me happy for all the right reasons."

I bowed my head and blinked away the sting in my eyes, knowing I was close on the verge of crying and for once, I might not fight it.

"And then, because of the Ambers because of _James_... I was forced to make a choice I did not want. I am fine will falling in love Joyce, but I was not allowed to do that with James. I was forced to marry a man I didn't love. It was because I've always been forced into doing things I never chose for myself. Where I went to school, where my first job would be-my parents and the Ambers had my life planned since the womb and that is _not_ an exaggeration."

Joyce's face scrunched in anger and I could tell it wasn't at me but at the cruel reality of my life. So over come was she, she reached across the table a second time and took my hand into hers again and gave me a firm, reassuring squeeze.

"I wasn't allowed to contact either of you or any of my other friends. Boys or girls because James and my in-laws did not approve of my life as it was and told me I had to make adjustments if I was to be a successful wife of a billionaire. You think I didn't want to come and comfort you when William died? You think I didn't want to be present when you and Vanessa gave birth to your children? I _did!_ And I wanted to share our experience being married but... my marriage was an absolute disaster and I was so envious of what you and Ness had with your husbands. Ryan, William and now David... these men all appear to sincerely love you and desire your happiness. I had no happiness. I had and still am, a broken, cold, bitter woman and to make things worse, I was struck down and beat if I showed so much as an ounce of disagreement, rebellion or suggesting another option to make my life more comfortable."

At this, Joyce stood up and walked around to my side of the table. When she was close enough, she leaned in and gathered me into her strong arms.

"Sera, I... I think I get it and I forgive you. This is hard for you to talk about so, tell us when you're ready, okay?"

I nodded and raised my hands to cover over her wrists. I increased my grip and allowed myself to be babied by her not because I wanted the attention but because I _needed_ this kind of attention from her. When I felt like I wasn't going off the deep end, I gently broke away and stood up beside Joyce, no longer in the mood to chat or do much of anything. I was smart enough to thank her for taking the time to listen before grabbing the plate of food and taking it to the living room with my cup of coffee. Joyce didn't call after me or ask me what I was doing. She simply let me go and went off to do her own thing. Sitting down by Max, I set my plate of food on my lap and was just about to take the first bite when Joyce came into the living room and over to the couch.

"I'm not one for divorce I would never encourage it unless I honestly thought it was necessary."

I paused in the mist of stabbing my eggs so I could look up at her and listen.

"Sera."

Joyce spared Max a brief glance before settling worried eyes on me.

"If this is truly your reality and it hasn't changed after all these years and you're still struggling to breathe _because_ of James, your in-laws and as much as I hate to say this, your own parents, then you need to reconsider your options because you do have them Sera. They're available to you, even if you think otherwise. Your parents and in-laws you can't do much about because you're not married to them. You're bound to James. That being said, if I were you in this situation I would do this first..."

Joyce put her hand on the head of the couch to steady herself so she could lean down and whisper the rest of what she wanted to say into my ear. She did so Max wouldn't hear her I'm sure and as I listened to her provide suggestions, my eyes casually began to widen.

"Are you serious Joyce?"

I whispered, not looking at her and staring straight ahead at nothing. Nodding, Joyce moved her mouth away from my ear and straightened her posture and gave me such a serious look.

"Yes Sera. You didn't tell me everything, correct?"

I nodded.

"Okay, well... from what I pulled back there you have been living a constant, non-ending nightmare all because these people have their head shoved up their asses. Darling it's time for you to be the Sera Amber Vanessa and I befriended and fell in love with and get your spirit back."

Forcing a smile, I broke our stare and resumed eating.

"That girl is dead Joyce."

I bitterly whispered, feeling a small pang of regret swell up in my chest.

"She ran free and did her own thing until she was forced to die at the Amber's hands."

"All the more reason for you to do what I said and bring her back because you deserve to be happy Sera just like any other human being."

How Max slept through this intense conversation is a skill in itself. Joyce and I weren't talking loud but we weren't talking softly either. But it didn't matter what Max heard or didn't hear because I had made up my mind to do exactly as Joyce said and when New Year's came to this place, marking the end of this holiday season and our vacation time with our children... I would have something special waiting for James that I would give to him in front of everyone in this house. If Joyce's hunch is right on this, then Jame's reaction would either make or break this marriage and as scary as it was to picture this future event, I was just as equally excited to see what would come from this choice I'm going to make. Not just for me, but for Rachel's sake as well.

* * *

The next couple of weeks were slow ones and uneventful. One of the more positives was seeing Vanessa call Max to the the kitchen, sit her down and openly apologize for hitting her and asking Max to forgive her, but not just Max. Vanessa also made amends with Ryan for acting brash and handling the situation poorly and wanted both of them to know she had not intention of moving Max out of the studio at any point. Ryan and Max were pleased with this news and forgave Vanessa and just like that, they were one big, mushy, happy family enjoying what was left of the holiday. Likewise, Joyce and David put all their energy into winning Chloe's favor. They bought her whatever she desired, passing it off as their Christmas gift to her and Chloe took full advantage of their offer. She went with them to a car lot and bought herself a brand new, blue Dart from the Dodge series. Dart's are not my style but I will admit, it really was a nice little car and after the purchase was made and she drove home in it and pulled it up into the driveway to show off to everyone, Chloe finally overlooked their earlier stunt from day one of our arrival and she remained on good terms with her parents. As for me and my household? We continued to buck heads, disagree and yell at each other and wouldn't you know it, it was always because of James. James just couldn't keep himself from criticizing Rachel, her lifestyle, who she was hanging out with, her grades (which were all straight A's). Honestly with him, nothing is ever good enough to receive his praise. What upsets him the most and starts a majority of these fights is Rachel's choice to become a fashion model instead of business tycoon like him and myself. To my credit, I started to stand up to James and show Rachel just how much I cared and desired to support her happiness. This made James irritable and very frustrating to deal with. The Prices and Caulfields kept clear of our family issues and simply let us hiss at each other but when New Years finally rolled around the corner, I did exactly as Joyce suggested. Prior to the upcoming event, Joyce wanted me to test James and see if he was going to stop acting like a jerk and try to fix the damage with Rachel, let alone with our marriage.

He did not.

And since James failed to show any kind of real effort or remorse for all the horrible things he had done to me in the past and was currently doing to Rachel and the other people in the studio, I decided enough was enough. I woke up early one morning, went to the courthouse downtown and filed for divorce papers. While everyone packed together in the kitchen, stood around the table and raised their glasses of soda or champagne and praised the new year, I waltzed in and destroyed what was left of my marriage with James.

"Here James. This is for you."

I remarked in a polite, professional tone, practically shoving the envelope in his face so I could finally be rid of it. Everyone present who witnessed me hand him the envelope stood by in tense silence and watched James take the envelope out of my hand and into his own. His reaction, was just as I feared. After scanning the contents, he raised his eyes to meet mine and was already showing signs of erupting into a volcanic fury. Thankfully, David and Joyce came over to stand beside me, their expressions firm and very serious. Vanessa and Ryan joined the fight. Setting their champagne glasses down, they huddled up behind me and gave James the same look David and Joyce were, if not deadlier. I could _tell_ , James wanted to hit me but he didn't get a chance to because Rachel spoke and _ordered_ him to leave _her_ house. Offended, James whirled around and glared hatefully at Rachel. Not the least bit intimidated, Rachel crossed her arms and pointed out a cold truth to remind him of what she thought about the currant change in events.

"I told you and mother not to come up here, but you didn't listen to me. You both insisted to stay. Mother at least made amends with me and since she's done that, my eyes have opened a little more and I think I can safely say the reason this family is screwed up, the reason my childhood sucked, the reason for mother's silence that I, up until here recently, mistook her for being in agreement with you, isn't the case at all. It's all on you father. I don't know what got into her, but she's really been trying to fix things. Things that I believe you're responsible for."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Max and Chloe smirk. Clearly, they were glad she was telling James to hit the road.

"The fact that she gave you divorce papers says a lot and is helping put more things into perspective for me. She doesn't want you, I don't need you in my life and therefore, see no more reason to keep tolerating you."

James opened his mouth, started to say something but Rachel interrupted him before he could do anything.

" _Get out!_ And don't you _ever_ come back!"

"You want me get out?"

James muttered angrily under his breath, daring to shoot me a hateful glare. Hmph. Let him glower and sneer. I didn't tell him to leave. Rachel did and like usually, he was blaming me for being the worst disgrace of a wife just based on that alone. All the more reason to thank Joyce later for helping me figure out a game plan.

"Fine."

It _almost_ seemed to good to be true. James exiting the kitchen without another word and going to Rachel's bedroom to pack his belongings. Can I just say, I love how David offered to call a taxi for him and _show_ him to the door when James emerged from the bedroom?

"This isn't over Sera. I will see you in court and when I do-"

I cut him off and said something I don't either of us were expecting to hear.

"I will be there and take everything from you. I deserve it after all the hell you've put me through so yes James, we will see each other again."

I made a deliberate pause, wanting him to absorb each word and see just how serious I was about my choice to divorce him.

"With our lawyers in court. Better come ready to fight because I won't go down easy. You taught me to be a fighter and to never rely on my weakness so congratulations. The fruit of your training is about to pay off. I am after all, a _Amber_ and if there's one thing you should know about an Amber, it's this..."

I marched over to David by the door, grabbed hold of it, took a risk and shoved James outside into the cold. There, I stood in the door way and leveled my fiery gaze with his, daring him with my eyes to defy me. To my and everyone's shock, James didn't. He actually stood there and for the first time in his life, appeared worried for his future. Seeing that flash across his features made me smirk in deep satisfaction.

"They don't play fair. They don't play nice and they hate obeying the rules. They take what they want, exploit until they're satisfied and when they're done toying around with someone, they don't just drop them, but they make sure to turn their victims to glass before delivering the final blow and you James, are my victim I'm going to make into glass."

I gave him the once-over and squared my shoulders firmly and proficiently.

"Have a nice ride back to the mansion that _I_ will be taking from you and don't you dare think you have grounds to hold onto what my parents left to me because you don't. It's _my_ house that was put into _my_ name that I agreed to _share_ with you when we got married. But you know, since we're getting divorced, I will make sure that everything that was mine before you moved in, _stays mine_."

And with that, I moved the door as far back as I could then without hesitation, I slammed that door shut in his face. Everyone remained quiet until they heard the taxi door close and then drive off down the slushy street. Once I dared to turn around and face everyone, vigorous cheering and clapping greeted me. I stood there, froze in place, staring at them in shock. Sure I figured they'd be glad I told James to shove it but to receive this kind of intensity from the adults and the children was slightly overwhelming.

"Miss Amber, that was _awesome!_ "

Chloe mused, happily giving me two thumbs up. I smiled a little, finding her optimism for me cute and needed. It had been far too long since I had been acknowledged for something outside of political ethics. I strangely felt powerful because I stood up James and oddly enough, that was exciting me.

"Chloe sit down and behave."

Chloe rolled her eyes but didn't snap at Joyce for scolding her. Taking her place between her parents, Chloe beamed over at me, silently approving of what I had just done with her smile and sparkling, mischievous eyes.

"Good riddance."

Ryan muttered, putting himself into the conversation.

"I'm sorry, but that man was a jerk and deserved more than just you shoving him outside into the snow. And for the record, I was trying really hard to see the good in him but... he was cold like ice and void of any warmth. How the hell have you stayed sane all these years married to a pric like him?"

I shrugged. I hadn't really thought about that but after taking a moment to mull over his words, I finally raised my head and looked at Ryan with a thoughtful expression on my face and told him a simple truth. It was so simple, I don't know if he really knew where to put it.

"I held onto good memories of my youth with you, your wife, Joyce, my other friends from Hearst High and those few memories kept me from going off the deep end. That and Rachel. After I had her, I tried to motivate myself to keep going."

Ryan started to reply to me but Rachel got up from the table and grabbed a champagne glass off the tray. Out of respect to her, Ryan closed his mouth and settled for flashing me a gentle smile instead.

"Mother I'm... impressed."

Rachel coley admitted, walking over to me so she could hand me a glass of champagne. With a faint smile on my lips, I took the glass by its stem and brought the rim to my lips to indulge in a well deserved toast to myself and the start of my rejuvenation.

"I honestly didn't think you had it in you."

She went on to say as we made our way over to the table to sit down with the others.

"Well, you could say I had some help that nudged me in the right direction."

At that, I shot Joyce a knowing look and the two of us shared a mutual stare of compassion for one another. David saw it and glanced between us with a raised, suspicious eyebrow. Thankfully, he said nothing, didn't try to integrate us and left things alone for the time being. Now with James gone and only two days left of visiting, I put all my energy into Rachel, Max, and Chloe. I genuinely wanted them to share their world with me and introduce me into their trio. Just spending New Year's day with the three of them, made me blush with envy. They really, truly cared and loved each other and I thought their ability to express that admiration was beautiful and when I was able to catch Rachel alone the following day, I strongly encouraged her to never let her bond with Max or Chloe go, even if she decided to settle down and marry and start a family of her own in the future.

"Afraid I'll wind up like you?"

Rachel did not ask that question to insult me. Her tone was soft and her eyes were sad so I could see the difference right away.

"No. But what if I did fear that? What's the difference if you let them slip through your fingers?"

I stepped in closer and without giving off any warning to what I was going to do, I gathered her up into my arms and held her close to me. To do these things with her now, seemed pointless and silly. She wasn't a child anymore but I felt like this was exactly what I needed to start doing _because_ she had been deprived as a child. Rachel gasped, clearly not expecting it but the longer I held her, the more I felt her relax against me.

"Look. What you, Max and Chloe have is pretty rare among friends."

Rachel's eyes closed half way in thought. Glancing to her left, she broke our stare to consider my words.

"Yeah... I guess it is. Mother what _is_ this anyway?"

I parted my lips, intending to tell her exactly what it was she, Max, and Chloe were experiencing because I, Vanessa and Joyce are the same as they are. The difference is, the three of us went through many trials and errors before we discovered what it was. From the sounds of it, Rachel was still trying to figure it out.

"Well, whatever I have. Er, we _all_ have... it's mystical and very hard to understand."

Rachel's eyes traveled back onto my face, her right brow furrowing in frustration.

" _Clearly_ I'm not asexual. I like sex and only want to have sex with guys. I don't have any desire to be their lover in any way, shape or form so why do I have this tug towards them if I'm not driven to do... well, go deeper in the relationship and demand more than the obvious with either of them? Chloe and Max feel the same way about me as I do about them. Mother, is this normal?"

Instead of answering her question, I gave her something to think about.

"If you found a treasure with the ability to accept and love you unconditionally, something that this world could never offer you and you knew this treasure would bring you joy and happiness, wouldn't you want to keep it close to you and take good care of it?"

At first, Rachel blinked and stared at me for the longest time. I could tell she wanted to say I was crazy to suggest such a thing but it was obvious part of her was processing what I had said and didn't find it weird in the slightest. Then she stepped out of my arms and took a firm stance, put one hand on her hip and tilted her head to the side. The edges of Rachel's lips curled a little and her expression was thoughtful and surprisingly hopeful.

"I see. In that case, I'd do everything to keep it."

Rachel spared a glance over her shoulder and scanned the small area until she spotted Max and Chloe. The two of them were curled up next to each other on the couch, talking softly about Max's up coming classes. Rachel gazed at them and so did I. Not just because I found Rachel's visible affection for them forming on her face touching to see... but because when I dared to raise my eyes, I saw how Joyce and Vanessa were standing behind the couch, towering over their daughters and peering over their shoulders at me and giving me the same heart-felt look.

"Then..."

I trailed off and moved closer to Rachel. Keeping my eyes locked on Vanessa and Joyce, I turned my head just slightly and whispered near Rachel's ear,

"Know the difference of what you have with them and accept it for what it is and enjoy it. Don't stress like we did... because it's obvious to trained, experienced eyes like mine, Vanessa and Joyce's that what you three have, is _exactly_ what we had and still have."

I stepped around Rachel and started to make my way over to where my soulmates were. Today was our last and I wanted to make it count.

"Where are you going mother?"

Without stopping, I kept going towards Vanessa and Joyce.

"Out."

Came my simple, brief reply. I heard Rachel laugh but I still didn't bother to look at her, the other youths on the couch or David and Ryan coming in from the kitchen. My entire world was center focused on Vanessa and Joyce for once and I wasn't going to have any other way.

"Ryan. David."

At the mention of their names, they raised their heads and looked at me.

"I'm borrowing your wives for the remainder of the day."

Before they could deny me the right or invite themselves on the outing, I reached out and took Vanessa and Joyce's right hands captive and tugged them towards me. I grinned at them and they grinned back. This is all it took to get them motivated to follow me and just like that, they turned their heads and a said good-bye to their husbands.

"Where are you taking them?"

Ryan innocently asked, seemingly out of no where.

"Don't know, don't care. I just want them to myself for a little while."

Ryan and David exchanged puzzle looks but our girls watched with wide grins on their faces.

"We'll be back before dinner David. So please don't go off the deep end if you don't see us until then and send half of L.A. police department after us."

Joyce offered, glancing back around to look at me in unison with Vanessa. Nodding in agreement, Ryan turned around and returned to the kitchen but David continued to stand there and observe the scene. Ignoring his stare, I walked backwards and continued to pull them anxiously by their hands and they happily let me do it. Once outside of the studio, I released their hands and together, we faced the street. We didn't have any transportation and we didn't need it. For now, just walking between them down the sidewalk in a comfortable silence was enough.


	11. Episode 11: Wounded 1 (Rachel Amber)

Well that just happened. First it was the holiday madness, then finding out that mom, Joyce and Vanessa were soulmates and finally, me kicking dad out and all the adults packing up and going back home. Now the studio is ours again and life has gone back to normal. The new term will be starting soon but I'm not very excited for it. I attend college to earn a piece of paper so someone will take me seriously. It wasn't for that, I'd pull a Chloe Price and flip the entire world off without looking back. Sadly I am not that bold and want to show my aunt and mother I can make it on my own without their help. Speaking of my mother... dude, what just happened? I never would have thought our moms were soulmates but hey, if I'm going to be fair, I never thought I'd become Max and Chloe's soulmates either. If I was going to pinpoint the highlight of my winter break, catching our moms for the first time and rubbing it in their face was it.

"What are you thinking about?"

Opening my eyes half way, I lifted my head off the pillow and placed a soft kiss on Max's cheek.

"Rachel, do you know what you do to me when you do that?"

She asked as her eyes fluttered shut. I sighed happily and nodded.

"Yes I do. And to answer your question, I was thinking about our moms just now. It's hella random but it's pretty awesome that they're like us."

Her eyes still shut, Max smiled a little bit when I ran my hands throughout her long mane of hair but right as she was recovering from the relaxing sensation of being snuggled there, I kissed her in the same area I had nuzzled previously and instantly heard another sharp intake of breath. Amused with her reaction, I rolled both of us over and carefully positioned Max underneath me. Balancing myself, I gave Max doting kisses all over her face then gently finished it off with a tender peck on her forehead. Max let out a soft sigh and so did I.

"Do you know how much I enjoy being with you, Max?"

Max kissed my shoulder in response then leaned back to glance up at me. We watched each other in the darkness for a moment, surveying the other with interest.

"Do you Max?"

I found myself asking her second time, not caring or thinking any more about how the words fell from my mouth. The nightlife outside created a nice background effect that set the mood and the soft pop music playing from my iPhone added to the growing atmosphere between us.

"Very much?"

She whispered her guess and eased back in so she could nuzzle me. My eyes closed at the touch of feeling her cheek pressed against mine.

"Yeah. You know, it wasn't supposed to be like this. I wasn't supposed to like you as a real friend or remotely care about you."

Max lifted her hands and ran them through my hair. Smiling gently, she tipped her head further back into the pillow and chuckled lightly.

"Amen to that. If we're going to be honest with each other, I didn't see any of this coming either. Chloe yes, you no. But we make it work between the three of us and I find that very impressive. Thanks to our moms, we know what we have now and that's a huge comfort for me. But just because we know what a soulmate is, doesn't mean we can show it to just anyone. They wouldn't understand it."

Her hands fell away from my head and just like that, our cuddle session was over and she squirmed her way out from under me. Now in the sitting position, Max swung her legs over the edge of the bed and got up.

"We may know what it is, but do we truly understand it Max?"

I asked, partly to see where she stood on it and partly because I wanted reassurance that what we had wasn't a false installed fantasy that would end the moment we returned to reality.

"Yes. I believe we do."

She looked down at me over her shoulder and gave me a solid, determined smile.

"How it works as a whole, I'm still figuring that one out but this much I can say to you. I care about you and Chloe very much and I allowed you both into my heart. I share my life with you and express my fondness through unconditional affection."

Max craned her neck around just in time to see Chloe open the door. She grinned at us and showed herself into the room, like she normally does.

"Hey hippies. Whatcha' doing? Getting your freak on without me?"

Max rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Arching her eyebrow, Max pointed out the obvious.

"Perv much?"

Chloe nodded, agreeing with Max.

"Yep. All the time. But seriously, what are you guys up to? Got any plans for tonight?"

"Why do you need to know Chloe?"

I asked, using my elbow as a support to lean on while giving Chloe the once-over with my eyes. She was dressed in her usual attire. Strapless white tank top with the signature skull, patch work jeans and black leather boots. The beanie wasn't on her head so her hair was completely exposed. It needed a good trimming and the mutilate-colored dye was starting to fade. Chloe looked great with her hair dyed but her natural blonde was lovely too. Hmm... maybe I'll encourage her to stay blonde this time around? It would be a nice change. Max has let her hair grow out and has a small adorable gut so it's only natural Chloe does something to show she's also a different person since... since all the stuff that happened in Arcadia Bay.

"Because I thought it would awesome to go paint the town red at Lure."

Max and I exchanged curious glances before looking back at Chloe.

"Lure? The nightclub on Ivar Avenue?"

Max mused with some slight hesitation in her voice. Smirking, Chloe gave us a thumbs up.

"Yes. I went online, checked it out and it totally sounds like our scene."

"Uhh..."

Max trailed off and rubbed her neck nervously.

"You mean yours and Rachel's kind of scene. I'm just now getting broken into this wild style you guys call a "high" and I'm telling you both right now, I'm not ready for that kind of mosh pit."

Is what Max said. Too bad for her, her honesty was chucked to the side and by the end of the conversation, she was sitting between me and Chloe at table in the nightclub. Chloe didn't take no for an answer. Max wasn't scared but I could tell she felt very out of place by the way she fiddled with her hands on her lap and kept her head bowed and eyes glued to her drink.

"I can't believe you forced me to come with you."

Chloe wrapped her arm around Max's shoulder and put on her best, charming grin.

"Max. After all that drama during the holidays, this is just what we all need before you guys gotta go back to prison tomorrow."

Max kindly untangled herself from Chloe's embrace and shifted nervously between us.

"College life."

Max quickly inserted, correcting Chloe.

"Isn't that bad Chloe. I don't feel like I'm going to a prison and I'm learning lots of valuable things, not just ways to become a better photographer."

I took a long sip from my martini glass and watched Max from the corner of my eyes twist around and reach into her camera bag. She took out the instant camera and snapped a quick photo of Chloe guzzling her beer. The flash blinded Chloe and she was forced to put her beer down so she could rub the shock out of her eyes.

"Really Max? While I'm drinking?"

Max just shrugged, then turned to me to take another photo. Unlike Chloe, I was open to being captured so I looked right into the lens of the camera with a daring expression and battered my eyelashes playfully at Max. Giggling, Max took the shot then put the camera back in the bag.

"Nice pose Rachel. You actually make me feel like I know what I'm doing with my camera!"

I laughed, finding her sarcastic optimism towards herself very humorous.

"An art-school hipster in the making. To Max's future!"

Chloe raised her beer in a toast, expecting us to join in. Smiling slightly, I lifted my bottle in motion with Max and the three of us clinked the rims together and afterwards, polished off our drinks. Now empty, I reached across the table and grabbed another chilled bottle and quickly twisted the cap off. Chloe did too but Max remained as she was. She busied herself with the action taking place around our table. When she grew board of site seeing, she lowering her gaze to the bowl of honey roasted peanuts and grabbed a handful of them to munch on. Glancing away from the two of them, I also took a moment to take in the sights of the rambunctious nightclub. By the sheer look of the place, Lure has all the makings of another slick Hollywood club where bottle service and bodycon dresses spur a sit-and-stare vibe. Raising my head just slightly, I admired the pulsating LED walls as well as the galaxy of glowing moon-like orbs that hovered high above the dance floor. The gorgeous honey-lit VIP bar with the elevated DJ stage—all framed in a massive open room where everyone and everything could be seen was very impressive. From where where we were sitting, you could see the area people would venture out to the expansive patio, where you'll find winding, white tufted banquettes in cabanas framed by green, living walls. The hostesses and waiters are remarkably attractive. Just their dress appeal alone, is enough to make me want to party it up. I think the best part about Lure, was the beautifully lit palm trees and footbridges over ponds. Honestly, Lure feels more like a 5-Star resort than a Hollywood club downtown. Almost like a trap for big spenders in shiny shirts looking for no more than a little bump and grind. But Lure is also where some of the best DJ's and acts are throwing down and beneath its beautiful facade, Lure is all about the beat. No cultural ground is being broken here and it can be expensive, obviously, but the casual and sexy L.A. vibe is certainly in full bloom and that is why I think Chloe wanted to come to here.

* * *

A few hours later, the three of us were in interesting places. Max remained sober, as if knowing she was going to have to be the designated driver. Chloe kept drinking but managed to stop long enough to entertain a few guys here and there. As for me? I did what I always do best. Become the life of a party. I drank myself into a stupor, swayed my hips, grinded on horny men and overall, owned the dance floor with my body, openly challenging anyone who dared to approach me. What came after this heated night of lustful make outs and hard core drinking, was a massive hang over and waking up in Max's bedroom in nothing but my undies. The moment the sunlight struck my face, I shot up in the bed, panting and drenched in sweat. I made a quick show of looking around the dark room but Max was nowhere to be seen. Closing my mouth, I did my best to quiet my breathing as I ripped the covers off my body, somehow feeling like I would suffocate if I didn't and glanced to my right, expecting to see Chloe. She was there, laying on her side facing me, also in nothing but her under garments. She looked so out of it. There were dark rings under her eyes, indicating that she hadn't slept well or may have gotten sick up until recently and is just now getting some rest. Her hair was a tangled mess, sprawled out across the pillow case and her overall position was lazy. If you looked at Chloe hard enough, you could see some strain on her face. My guess was she was reacting to a war raging in her stomach or she was having a bad dream. Not wanting her to think she was alone, I reached out with a shaky hand and stroked the blue tassels out of her face and off to the side. Chloe must of been comforted by it because her discomfort left and she instantly snuggled deeper into the pillow with a soft sigh. With Chloe much calmer, I leaned back, looked down at myself and grunted. I was a hot mess. My hair felt greasy, like I hadn't washed it, my stomach was bloated, totally from too much indulgence in alcohol and my entire body was steeped in a river of sweat.

"Dude. Just how much drinking did we do last night?"

I grumbled, moving myself off the bed so I could stand on shaky legs. Ironically, I wasn't nauseous so that told me one of two things. I either A, threw up and didn't remember when or where it happened or B, I didn't drink so hard that I upset my stomach but just enough to get wasted. Running my hands through my hair, I groaned as I trudged out of Max's room and into my own. If Max was in the living room or the kitchen, I failed to notice her. All I cared about was going to my bathroom so I could rise down in the shower and once I was safely inside my bathroom, I stopped by the sink so I could turn the faucet on. The water flowed out in a torrent and the sound drowned away the birds singing to the early morning. Lowering my head, I splashed the cool water on my face a few times, trying to wake up. Tired as I felt, I was too wound up to go back to sleep. Besides, class for me and Max started at noon. Hung over or not, I was going in. I knew the new semester started today but I was far too greedy to not take Chloe up on a girl's night out. At least Max remained sober and got us home. She, unlike me, will be full of energy and ready to tackle the world.

"Rachel? Are you all right?"

Max asked on the other side of the door, seemingly out of now where. Frowning, I turned the faucet off and went over to the door. Opening it, I kept my hand on the door handle and casually leveled my grumpy gaze with Max.

"I'm fine."

I lied. I didn't feel fine in the slightest. I was seriously hung over and wanted to go crawl into a dark hole and mellow out until the unpleasant sensations passed. Sensing my heavy thoughts, Max cleared her throat and awkwardly rubbed at the back of her head.

"Are you going to go in to class today or..."

She trailed off and gave me a quick run down with her eyes. Knowing what she was about to suggest, I cast a quick glance at the digital watch on her wrist, noting the time. We needed to be on campus in four hours. That was more than enough time to get a shower and sober up.

"No. I'm going in Max. Thanks for asking and your concern though."

I muttered, stepping back and making my way towards the shower. At the rate I was operating, I'd be lucky if I could finish my shower and get dressed without feeling like I was going to fall flat on my face.

"All right then. I'm making breakfast. Do you want me to fix you something to eat?"

I nodded distractedly as I bent over to pull down my underwear. Wanting to give me privacy, Max turned around and put a hand over her eyes. Granted, she's seen me naked before but even though we're both girls, Max still likes to show me and Chloe respect.

"Right. I'll just go and let you shower. If you need me, call."

I sighed, more annoyed with the conversation than with her. Normally, talking with Max is always a delight but when I'm hung over and actually applying effort to keep myself focused, I find conversing to be bothersome. Especially when I've just woke up from a deep sleep.

"Thanks Max. And if it's cool with you, could you brew some coffee too?"

I heard Max giggle behind me.

"Already have. I'll see you when you get out Rachel."

With nothing more to say to me and without looking at me, Max reached behind her and softly closed the bathroom door, leaving me alone.

* * *

"Any day now Max."

I grumbled four hours later in my car, tapping annoyed fingers against the steering wheel. Here I was hung over but managed to get outside and in the car on time but Max who was not suffering any kind of handicap, was still inside doing God knows what. I resisted the urge to grab my iPhone and hit the redial button, if only to annoy Max and tell her to hurry her ass up. Irritated that we might be late for our first day back, I shifted in the car seat, glancing at the front window of the house but was unable to see anything past the closed curtains. Glowering at the flaring sun in the sky, I reached in my front pocket, snatched up my iPhone and promptly jammed my finger on the screen. Max must have been expecting me to call her because she answered her phone on the first ring.

"What is taking you so long?"

I patiently clipped and glared daggers at the front door I ever so desperately wanted her to come through.

"I can't find my history book."

Max tersely explained.

"Why don't you just come inside where it's warm? You're just wasting gas money waiting for me like this."

I twisted my neck and found the living room window and rolled my eyes when I saw the blinds roll up and Max wave at me.

"Why don't you come out here so we can leave? We're really pushing it now Max."

I bit back, allowing my agitation to creep into my voice and frowned as Max continued to smirk that was practically daring me to turn off the car and come inside.

"Max, if I have to come in there, you're not going to like it..."

I lightly threatened, narrowing my eyes at her.

"I haven't found my history book yet. I know it's here. I was skimming through it last night after I got you and Chloe to bed. But when you guys started to show signs of puking everywhere, I set it down somewhere so I could come and take care of you."

Max replied, stepping away from the window to continue her hunt for the text book that was missing, completely unfazed by my threat. Grumbling again, I let out a rueful sigh when I heard Max's soft humming through the receiver and sub-consciously glared at Davis who was leisurely running down the sidewalk. Spotting me, she stopped so she could wave at me. Seeing that I was on the phone, Davis didn't bother to yell at me to get my attention but she did point at her sports watch as if to say, "Better hurry up. Class will be starting soon." and that made me all the more desperate to get a move on.

"Please hurry up, we're going to be late."

I huffed, raising an eyebrow at Davis as she put two and two together. Her grin said everything and look of pity she gave me was so painfully obvious, it made me cringe and as result, I blasted the car horn at Davis. Hearing the loud, shocking noise startled her and she took off running down the sidewalk. I chucked darkly and watched her flee with a satisfied look on my face.

"Oh so now you're **honking** at me? Man. You Ambers are **so** demanding."

Max muttered, sounding offended.

"I wasn't honking at you. I honked at Davis."

I hastily added, defending myself.

"But I will honk at you if you don't get your scrawny ass out here in five minutes."

"That book is over five-hundred dollars that I've spent and can't replace. The class is reading from it today and if I show up without it, I'm screwed. The professor is so strict, he won't let me share with someone else and take away points for class participation, all because I don't have a book of my own. You're not helping by rushing me Rachel."

Sighing, I unbuckled the seat belt and reclined against the front seat and draped my forearm over my eyes as I leaned my head back.

"Okay, okay. I'll wait... even if we're late. Now, remind me which one of us is hung over and sluggish again?"

Max laughed lightly into the phone.

"That's cruel irony for you. And good news, I found my history book."

I shrugged, though Max couldn't see it and I studied the dashboard. I relaxed back into the seat, a ghost of a smile on my lips.

"It's about damn time."

I conceded, glad to finally be on our way of getting out of here.

"I'm hanging up now. I'll see you in a few seconds."

Canceling our call, I placed my iPhone back in my pocket and simply waited for Max to come to the car. And wouldn't you know it, as we started to pull out, Max shyly admitted,

"I have to use the bathroom."

"What in the world Caulfield?!"

I slammed on the brake pad and pushed my hand into the car horn, using it as a way to vent my frustration. The sound exploded through the silent neighborhood, waking a few people from their slumber I'm sure.

"Hey! Stop that! You don't have to take it out on the locals Rachel!"

Max snapped, putting her hands over her ears as I continued to press the horn.

"Well you're going to want to go back in the studio to pee and we're going to be officially late for our first class so yeah, I'm little pissed right now. Forgive me for wanting to advertise my rage."

I moodily retorted, continuing to beep the horn. A random man just so happened to be jogging past my car and he gave us an odd look. Curling my lips, I pressed the horn harder. The man flinched and gripped his ears at the horrible noise the horn made.

"I was just making a loose statement Rachel! Geeze! I can hold it until we get to the college!"

Max fired back, unblocking her own ears so she could reach over and turn the steering wheel, which instantly killed the sound and forced my hand to cease pressing onto the horn. When she was convinced I wasn't going to do anything, Max let go of the steering wheel and allowed me to take control of it again. The jogger glanced over his shoulder, irritation sketched on his sweaty features and I raised an eyebrow, feeling oddly satisfied with his unhappiness.

"What's it matter? We're late and probably going to get a tardy mark for it. Might as well go while we're still here."

I offered, my tone much more polite but still carrying a hint of annoyance.

"Okay, fine. I'll just go back inside and use the bathroom."

Frowning, Max opened the door, stepped out into the cold, crisp air and went back into the house. By the time she emerged through the front door our classes were well under way but whatever. I'll live. When Max reached the car, she jumped in, slammed the door shut then turned to me.

"Sorry for making us late."

I arched an eyebrow and simply shook my head at the apology.

"It's okay. I'm sorry for blowing up. I'm just... really hung over and everything and anything you do or anyone else will do today, is just wrong. You're just wrong even though I know you've done nothing wrong. This is just how my crappy mood works when I'm like this."

I shifted gears and pulled out of the driveway, not missing the amused expression on Max's face.

"Yeah."

She sighed, reaching over to pet me dotingly on the head.

"I know. You and Chloe seem to reflect those attributes very well."

Shifting around in her seat, Max buckled up then occupied herself by studying the scenery as it blew past her. She glanced back over at me, studying my profile as I continued to navigate through the morning traffic.

"Did you mean what you said to me last night? Or were you just babbling in your drunken stupor?"

Alarmed, I averted my eyes from the road to give Max a questioning look.

"Um..."

I paused, very briefly and unsure of what to say. If I had said something profound or important, I had no collection of it.

"Sure."

I nodded in response and did not offer any more verbal acknowledgment to the conversation. Clearly, Max saw through the hesitation and saw that I was just agreeing with her and she resisted the urge to sigh.

"Rachel, you don't remember what we talked about, do you?"

"I didn't propose to you and mention something about taking your grandmother's goat on the honeymoon did I? If so, shit. Sorry about that. But don't feel bad. I did it to Chloe too one time if that's any consolation?"

Max crossed her arms and went back to gazing at the scenery through the window.

"No. Not even close."

She mumbled, sounding disappointed.

"You said if you ever got pregnant and had a girl, you'd name her Maxie after me in honor of what we have as long as I named my daughter Rachlo after you and Chloe. Something about wanting to keep the trio alive and the best way to do that was to include a little bit of you and Chloe in the name. I humored you and said I would do it but I just wondered if you really meant it, that's all. No biggie. You were drunk, so it was silly of me to think that you would."

Ouch. Man I can really be an ass sometimes, even drunk. Pursing my lips tightly together, I tapped my fingers against the leather of the steeling wheel and bit back a smirk. As bad as it was of me to say such things without remembering, it was also cute to see Max pouting over it.

"I don't recall saying that but I wouldn't dare go back on my word to you. If that's what I said, then... I'll keep my end of the bargain as long as you keep yours."

Blinking rapidly, Max gave me a sideways glance but I continued to concentrate on the road, even though I could tell Max was hanging on every word.

"Are you cereal?"

Max asked, keeping her tone light but sincere.

"As serious as a heart attack."

I muttered, taking a moment to glance at all four rear view mirrors before changing lanes. This made Max happy. Grinning, she stared straight ahead through the window shield and watched the passing traffic with me.

"Okay then. Deal. If you can bear to leave the nest that is."

The car stopped at a red light and I used that time to face Max and raised an eyebrow, giving up any pretense of cool detachment.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Max shrugged and ignored the warning flash in my icy blue eyes that were assessing her.

"I mean..."

Max clarified, lazily waving at the air.

"If you can picture life without me and Chloe and can branch out to actually settle down in the future, with or without your modeling career in the basket. Because let's face it, you're super attached to us whether you like it or not."

I snorted my disgust and tapped my hand against the steering wheel, scowling at the red light that was taking its sweet time on switching to green.

"You're saying I can't live without you? That's ridiculous Max. I am fully capable of living my life apart from you and Chloe."

Max rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Okay, okay. Let's not fight about it on our first day back. I was just... making a observational comment that seems to show in your actions towards us. Me especially."

"I let my guard down around you and give into my mushy girly side when I'm with you Max. I told you at Victoria's that one time that you're the only exception in that way. There are sides of me you're seeing, that Chloe has yet to see."

I countered, refusing to look at Max and return my attention to the red light and growled in frustration, not knowing if it was the lengthy red light the topic that was getting me riled up. Squinting her eyes, Max clenched her jaw as she tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"See. It's comments like this that prove my case. You're so connected to me at this point, I don't think you could visualize life without me by your side. Chloe maybe, but me?"

"That's not fair Max. Before you came back into Chloe's life, I was with her and did everything with Chloe for five freaking years. I was connected to her then and I still am. I think my choice to give you attention is making you delusional."

I stated through clenched teeth and clutching at the steeling wheel to subtly channel my anger.

"But you failed to tell her about Frank and dropped out of her life as a result?"

"Because I knew how she'd react!"

I screamed the words before I realized it. Unimpressed, Max glanced at me and narrowed her eyes in challenge.

"Funny. I told her the exact same thing when she asked me why you would betray her like that. Her exact words and I quote her, "That makes me ill that Rachel posed like this for Frank. Or wrote him love letters. I can't believe she was banging Frank. Rachel straight up lied to my face. Why didn't she say anything?" Note, here is where I told her what you just said. Then she proceeded to say, "Then she wasn't much a friend huh? Just another person who shits all over me. Why does everybody in my life let me down?"

Max paused on purpose, letting those heavy words hang in the air.

"She complained about other things. Like how she felt her dad let her down by dying on her, how I bailed on her for years, her mother for re-marrying David but she ended that lovely heated argument by arguing you betrayed her. Granted, I defended you, saying you did no such thing because you were missing but... since meeting me, Rachel your actions at times, counter what you're telling me and if you're not careful it might look like betrayal to Chloe."

"I love both of you equally Max."

I softly answered, forcing myself to calm down and the second the light turned green, I pressed down on the gas petal pretty hard but not because I was angry, I just wanted to get to the college at this point.

"I just... express parts about myself I didn't even know existed until I met you so yeah Max, it's going to look like I'm connecting to you differently as opposed to Chloe but don't you dare say I could adjust to life easily without Chloe over you. That's not fair and it's not true, despite what my actions say."

"All right Rachel. I believe you I just hope it comes across that way to Chloe."

I flinched and did my best to clamp back the urge to start up another argument. I was getting angry and Max was innocently tromping all over the very thing that made me toss and turn on some nights when I find myself thinking about the very same thing. Seeing that I was no longer in the mood to talk, Max stared out the window and decided to steer clear of any talk about Chloe, her and myself and I drove in stony, glum silence.

"Speaking of Frank, have you talked to him lately?"

Max asked several minutes later, keeping her tone soft and apologetic. Taking a quick breath, I gripped the steering wheel and swallowed, bracing myself for another verbal punch to my conscious.

"Yes. And in case you're wondering, I see Frank as my personal business so I'm not obligated to discuss our sex life or our phone calls with either you or Chloe and it's probably better I don't. You know, for Chloe's sake but whether she likes the idea or not, I am still very much, "banging" Frank."

"Seriously? When?"

Max titled her head in sincere interest.

"You're always with us. Well, most of the time."

I wrinkled my nose and cocked an eyebrow, unsure of how to answer. My mind briefly flitted back to the times I snuck out of the studio when Chloe and Max were asleep and met Frank downtown at our usual hotel spot. I could never risk going all the way back to Arcadia Bay to see him, so I told Frank if he wanted me, he would find a way to get to me and he did. The memories that ran through mind mind were hot with emotion so much I almost forgot where I was and who I was talking to.

"I..."

I opened and closed my mouth and I suddenly was at a loss for words. When I managed to calm myself hormonally, I shook my head to clear it and tried to speak again.

"Normally when I want to take my time, I wait until you and Chloe go to sleep but when I'm really horny and want relief, I'll say I'm going shopping... but I'm not really shopping. Sometimes I do but normally, I'm having sex with Frank somewhere."

Max hummed and out of moral support, reached over and patted me on the shoulder.

"Nice Rachel. If that's the case, you've been very active these past few months."

Max lowered her hand and turned the radio on, not missing the soft relieved sigh that fell from my lips. That talk just now was only slightly awkward but hey, at least the tension between us went away.

* * *

We came into our classes around 12:45 but wouldn't you know it, Max didn't get marked tardy for being late by her professor but I did. Professor Hunt is a hard man and expects nothing but perfection from his students who are taking their modeling careers seriously so it was completely on cue for me. How Max got out of it, I don't know. Anyway, as the day marched on and Max and I went to our mandatory classes, I couldn't get what she said to me in the car out of my head. It bothered me so much that by the time lunch hit, I wanted to talk about it some more with her in private. Problem was, I hadn't heard from her all day. Well, except for when she told me she didn't get in trouble for being late. When I didn't see her in the lunch hall, I went over to Victoria's table and checked in with her. Victoria and Max have a dance class this semester and would be spending a lot of time together so I figured they'd eat together but Max wasn't with Victoria, despite just coming from their dance class.

"Have you checked upstairs in Room 203? She mentioned wanting to have lunch with Trevor and Justin and some of the guys from her photography class. Something about learning some tips from Justin about skating?"

"What? Since when does Max want to destroy rails?"

Victoria shrugged as she took a sip from her bottle of water.

"Said it might help her loose her stress/winter weight?"

I rolled my eyes and scoffed lightly.

"It's true."

Victoria insisted and immediately looked to the double wide doors behind me.

"You might be able to catch her if you hurry."

"Okay. Thanks Victoria."

"Anytime."

With a brief wave, Victoria went back to chilling with her possy. Turning away from her table, I made my way out of the cafeteria and upstairs to Room 203 and sure enough, Max was in there, sitting at desk and chatting happily with the Blackwell bros and the photography peers from her class. I didn't waste any time. I stormed into the classroom and right in front of everyone, I grabbed Max by her forearm and pulled her out of the desk she was sitting in.

"Sorry guys. I need to borrow Max on what's left of our lunch period."

"Oh 'arlight. Later Max."

Justin waved good-bye and now that his entertainment was gone, he simply turned his head and went back to chatting with the guys hanging around him. When Max and I were in the hallway, she jerked out of my grip and turned dagger eyes on me.

"Rachel what the hell was that? Why did you-"

"Before I get into what I wanted to talk to you about, you're not fat. If you are considering working out to lose weight, why not go to gym with Chloe like you were doing before?"

Max crossed her arms defensively and tilted her head in agitation, her eyes still flaring with rage.

"I'm perfectly aware of that fine detail concerning my figure, Rachel but did it ever occur to you that I don't want to be around you and Chloe all the time? I have a life, that's mine and I can do whatever I want with it. If I decide I want to learn how to skateboard instead of boxing techniques with Chloe, that's my choice. I don't need your permission to do something like that. You're acting so paranoid. Just like when I went missing with Dutch. Tell me, are you going to throw a table at Justin and the other guys if you see them surrounding me too?"

Offended at the accusation, I whirled around and glared down at her.

"Paranoid?"

Without meaning to, I raised my voice and startled some of the students walking up and down the hallway.

"Paranoid?! For God's sake Max, did you forget already that the whole you disappearing thing had Chloe and I worried sick and to find you passed out in Dutch's jeep broke my heart because I wasn't able to protect you?! I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you. So yes, I suppose if Justin or some of his pals wanted to kidnap you and do something weird I would throw a table at them too!"

Max frowned seeing the onlookers whisper behind their hands and their painfully obvious stares. Sighing, she lifted her hands and gestured at me to calm down.

"Rachel-chill. I don't need you and Chloe to protect me all the time. See, this is what I was talking about to you earlier in the car. You're over reacting and all it's doing, is proving me right about everything. I want to believe you when you tell me the opposite but it's kind of hard to do that when you're acting like this."

Okay, this conversation was going south really quick and I wasn't in the mood to lose to her again. I wanted to show Max she was wrong so I stepped closer and peered down at her harder, using my height to over power her.

"First, I don't depend on you. If anyone in this relationship is dependent on anyone, it's you."

Max blinked rapidly and arched her neck back in shock.

"Wait, what?! Rachel where is this aggression coming from and why are you-"

I interrupted her, lost in my rage and no longer able to reason logically. At this point, I just wanted to win.

"Between Chloe and myself, you're the most vulnerable. Always have been and until you grow a back bone you always will be."

Max took a large step back and gawked at me, visibly insulted at the attack.

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

Max ground out, flushing from anger.

I inwardly winced, realizing what I had just done and out of desperation I tried to quickly correct the error.

"Look, I didn't it mean it like that. It's just-"

Max cut me off and bitterly remarked with some edge in her voice,

"Yeah. Whatever Rachel. Save it."

Max rolled her eyes in annoyance and glanced away from me with a wounded expression on her face.

"And for the record, I understand what you meant to say but even so, that's just... unfair Rachel. You and my mother are so alike in this way. Overbearing and overprotective. God, no one ever trusts me enough to take care of myself."

That comment just made me get mad all over again. Pointing at myself I firmly interjected,

"I'm nothing like our mothers and that really wasn't what I meant. I know you can take care of yourself to a certain degree Max but let's be real here. You've always relied on us. L.A. is proof of that."

Max turned her head and stared at me in disbelief for a few seconds then she threw her arms up in exasperation and released a frustrated cry.

"Rich girl born from the other side of the creek say what? Weren't you listening to me when I told your father and all our parents, I have always been alone and preferred it at most, if not all the time. Sure I love you and Chloe more then you two will ever know enough to rip holes in realities and yes, I can honestly say that I couldn't live my life without either of you anymore but no where does that mean I can't take care or look after myself. And if something did happen to the two of you, I can live alone because I simply could."

Max pressed her lips tightly together and glowered at me with such resentment in her eyes, it actually made me hesitate.

"You know what? I don't even know why we're having this stupid conversation! I've had enough. Just leave me alone."

My eyebrow still arched, I leveled my gaze and watched as Max started to walk off and make her way back into Room 203. Where did she think she was going? We weren't done talking. I still needed to properly apologize for upsetting her at the most, even though I was still miffed about the entire discussion over varies topics, it wasn't worth losing her. My mind made up, I followed Max but kept my distance, in fear that she might spin around and snap at me. Max knew I was behind her but she chose to ignore me, found Justin and told him she was sorry for being rudely taken away from him and the others. Just as Max started to walk off with the other classmates, I couldn't help but notice how she brushed her shoulder against mine. I thought for sure she'd stop and come back so we could finish this but to my grave disappointment, she kept walking. This display of rejection really annoyed me. In my eyes, it this whole thing was just as much Max's fault as it was mine. At least, that's what I was telling myself as I chased her down in the hallway.

"Max wait. Please?"

I caught up to her and I grabbed her roughly by her shoulder to get her to stop. Without meaning to, I put too much force in my grip and when I went to spin Max around, I startled her so bad she wound up tripping and falling down. Clearly, I didn't mean to cause her harm and I instantly reached out to help Max up but to my surprise, Max slapped my hand away.

"Are you on your period or what?"

Max asked from her position on the ground, confusion mixed with anger spreading across her face.

"Rachel, don't you think you've done enough damage for one day?"

I started to panic because now, I could see that Max was seriously cross with me and not in a good way.

"I'm sorry Max. I didn't mean to knock you over... let me help you up?"

Max rubbed her backside, muttering under her breath that she was afraid the fall might have bruised her tail bone.

"Like I told you before, I don't need your help, just leave me alone!"

After getting up, Max once again headed down the hallway, leaving me. I stared after her, torn on what to do, let alone on what I could possibly say to show her I was sorry for everything that went down between us earlier. Just as I was preparing to go the opposite direction, Max stepped around the corner and stormed back over to me.

"Hey Rachel."

I started to turn my head but didn't have to as she got in front of me and forced me to look at her. We stood there, almost chest-to-chest with our arms crossed and we each took on a defensive stance. Tilting her head back, Max rested her heated gaze on me, practically daring me with her eyes to defy her.

"You seem to be under the impression that I don't have a backbone and that I'm lost without you or Chloe in my life and I'm a pathetic wimp without you two around to guard me from the dangers of every day life. And I argued it was you, not me, but you who would be lost without me in your life. So you know what? Screw you. I'm moving out of the studio. And no, I won't move in with my parents. I fought them too hard to remain in L.A. so I'm going to move in with Victoria until further notice and there's nothing you can do or say to stop me."

Max's eyes narrowed and so did mine.

"So that's how it's going to be huh?"

I asked in low, controlled voice, already feeling a swelling in my chest.

"Yeah."

Max confirmed with a nod, eyes still locked with mine and showing no signs of backing down from the threat.

"All I ask that you respect my choice and don't try to coax me into coming home. I'll come home when I damn well feel like it."

Just to be a bitch about the whole thing, I sarcastically added,

"Filing for divorce papers so soon my love?"

That was probably the wrong thing to say, seeing as how I had previously offended her. Max was upset and I was supposed to be mending the bridge between us, not blowing it up. Alas, my pride as a Amber just wouldn't let her walk away the victor. As expected Max did not find my smart-alec remark cute or remotely humorous. Instead of replying to me, she shook her head in silence and with nothing more to say to me, she went off to go enjoy the rest of her lunch with none other than Victoria. I'm assuming Max explained what she wanted to do to Victoria because following lunch period, anytime I saw Victoria between classes, she would glare at me. I overlooked her and went about with my day without texting Max or saying a word to her when I saw her hanging around other people. I don't care if Victoria was putting it all together, reading between the lines and could see that Max was hurting and had been fighting with me or not. All I cared about was getting Max back but that wasn't going to happen. Not today. Far too much had been said and done for me to appear genuine and my last comment from earlier, didn't help matters either. In the end, I decided to leave things as they were. Even in the car ride home, we didn't speak to each other and I was perfectly okay with that. If Max wants to move out, fine. Let her go. Instead of seeing our fight as a folly I'll turn it into a challenge, a golden opportunity to show her and Chloe that I don't depend on Max to function or to be happy.

When we arrived home, Max immediately went to her room and began to pack her bags. I updated Chloe on what was going on and as expected, Chloe scolded me for starting what was going to turn into a Ferris Wheel of events but thankfully, she didn't flip out and lose it like I originally thought she would. To my shock and disgust, Chloe went into Max's room, hugged her and reassured her that she would support Max's decision to move out and vowed to treat Max like normal if she texted, called or caught her out and about some where, despite the war Max and I had started. Chloe even helped Max pack her stuff up! Prior to leaving, Max called Victoria to come over and pick her up. An hour later, when Victoria finally arrived and pulled in the driveway, Max turned to Chloe, thanked her for being understanding and kissed her goodbye on the forehead and on the cheek. She didn't bother kissing me because she was still mad and I for one, didn't want her affections at the moment. Our farewell consisted of narrowing our eyes and heated staring. And yet, when Max walked through the front door and I watched her from the window beside Chloe get in Victoria's car, I knew right there and then, my choice to beat Max had cost me greatly and the moment Victoria's car sped off down the road into the cool night, I instantly regretted so many things. One of them being my choice to prove to Max that I could live without her in my life...


	12. Episode 12: Wounded 2 (Victoria Chase)

Summary: (Unavailable at this time.)

* * *

Max's choice to move in with me was grand and all. I was totally up for having Max all to myself but I wish her reason to come live with me had been under better circumstances. Whatever Rachel said, did or didn't do right really upset Max. One month later and I still don't know all the details behind what happened. What I do know is, that day when Max found me in the cafeteria, she gave me the bridged version and kept things vague intentionally. I figured she was trying to cover up for Rachel's poor performance so I wouldn't think too lowly of her. Pretty much, there was a fight or a discouragement of some kind that led to Max feeling like she needed some space. No, space isn't the right word for this. Separation and time to think is more like it. Not away from Chloe per say, but definitively away from Rachel. Currently Max was relaxing in the Gathering Hall on a love seat, curled up with Kate who was sitting beside Taylor. The three of them were watching a movie on Netflix and from the looks of it they were enjoying themselves. Kate had a small smile on her face like she normally does when she's at peace and happy in general. Taylor was filing her nails and would glance down at them every so often but for the most part, she kept her eyes glued to the TV. Max bless her heart, was struggling to keep awake and sipping on a Mike's Cold Hard Lemonade. It was a pity she hadn't upgraded. I had all these fancy expensive collections in the manor but what did Max prefer? The malt beers. One thing was for sure. Before Max moved back in with Rachel, I was going to get her hooked on something stronger.

"Max?"

I called to her softly, not wanting to disturb the other two. Blinking slowly, Max's eyes moved off the TV and onto me. I was standing in the door way, fresh out of the shower in my lavender silk robe, hair slicked back and hand on my hip. I motioned for her to get up and come over to where I was standing. Glancing between Kate and Taylor, Max quietly excused herself and got up from the couch and took the beer with her. She swayed a little bit and naturally, Kate reached out to steady her. Taylor didn't move from her comfortable position but to her credit, she did stop filing her nails and ask Max if she was all right.

"I'm fine. Just drank a little too much I think."

Her hand still clasped around Max's wrist, Kate shared a knowing look with Taylor before letting go of Max and easing back into the pillow supporting her back. Taylor bowed her head, kept her mouth shut and didn't say another word to Max. Taylor, just like everyone in the house, knew the real reason behind Max's exhaustion. Ever since she moved in, Max has been experiencing these random freak anxiety attacks at night, on and off. I personally blamed Rachel for Max's distress but Max assured all of us that she had been having these episodes long before Rachel had come into her life and it was just something that tormented her from time to time. Her episodes... bothered me. They were disturbing to watch and even more so terrifying to restrain. Sometimes Max would black out and forget what she did during an attack. Other times she would go completely numb and remember everything but be powerless to stop her body from convulsing. The girls and I all agreed if Max's anxiety attacks didn't let up or got worse then they are now, we'd send her to a doctor.

"Yes Victoria?"

Max mumbled as she sluggishly made her way over to me and tried her hardest not to stumble and loose her balance.

"I've been meaning to bring this up to you but I kept getting distracted so today, I told myself I was going to properly inform you of my house rule. There is only one and it is mandatory that you follow it."

"And what would that be?"

Max asked, bringing the rim of the bottle to her parting lips so she could take a long swing of the sweet lemonade. Shrugging my shoulders casually, I calmly told her,

"Self-Defense 102. I have private instructor who comes to train us once a month. From this day on, I expect you to attend this seminar that will be held in the manor along with everyone else. Myself included."

I could tell Max was torn between spewing out the beer so she could laugh or holding it back so she could enjoy it.

"You want me to learn self-defense? Have you lost your-"

Max hiccuped rather loudly and without warning, startling us both. Arching my eyebrows in alarm and in amusement, I watched as she instinctively covered her mouth to muffle another one. Seeing Max swallow it down, I smirked, finding her tipsy behavior rather... adorable and if I'm going to be completely honest, charming. Yes, charming. Some people can be tipsy or drunk and be an absolute nightmare. Max is just cute about it and it always makes me want to spoil her more, as odd as that may sound.

"Sorry."

She whispered, making sure to keep a firm grip on the bottle while the other slid off her mouth so she could rub at neck, obviously embarrassed by what she had done.

"It's fine."

Without thinking what it would look like in front of Kate or Taylor, I reached out and stroked Max's face, wanting nothing more than to genuinely show her I was worried about her and that I cared. In my defense, most of the girls knew I had become territorial of Max due to the whole Rachel situation and had made it my habit to give to Max what Rachel was now unable to do.

Affection.

At first, I stopped myself from doing it and kept things at a minimum. Now, several weeks later, I am more bold with Max and have no problem displaying my admiration for her. Sure it creeps out the girls sometimes but that's only because they're not used to seeing me like this. Hell, _I'm_ not used to seeing me behave like this but damn it all, there's just something about Max that makes you want to go outside of your comfort zone and just... _be_. All the more reason I am upset at Rachel for pulling what she did. She hurt Max's feelings and lost this privilege that I was more than happy to substitute for, ill-regardless of what everyone else thought or how they viewed my new transition with Max living in the house.

"Why do I gotta do this Victoria? I visited you all the time in the past and you never brought this crap up. Is it literally 'cuz I'm living with you now or what?"

Smirking more, I continued to graze Max's cheek with my fingers. She was _really_ tipsy and it was starting to show in her speech. She spoke clearly enough but her voice was gradually becoming more slurred and lazy.

"I never brought it up because you weren't a resident. Look it's nothing personal but I require all the girls here to know basic self-defense. For what I would think should be obvious reasons. Surely you don't want me to waste your time by explaining each one?"

Max's eyes fluttered shut as she sighed and leaned into my touch. This pleased me greatly and if Rachel could see me like this, with Max, at this exact moment, I would totally look at her and rub it in. Sadly, Rachel wasn't here so I couldn't gloat about it but I did step in closer and bring my other hand to rest on the side of Max's neck and let my delicate finger work their magic on the tense muscles.

"Vi, I don't see the point to it."

Keeping the one hand on her neck, I continued to massage the tension away while skillfully moving my other one off her cheek so I could secretly swipe the Mike's out of her hand and quickly take it into my custody. She was so passing out on me, while standing up no less and I really didn't think it was wise to let Max keep drinking. Not with the lack of sleep she was already experiencing and the after lash effects from her anxiety attacks.

"One day when you're faced with a perverted thug trying to manhandle you-you'll thank me."

I whispered into her ear and instantly, Max sagged against me and I felt her arms wrap around my waist. She probably did this to prevent herself from falling down. I didn't mind. I somewhat liked the idea of Max clinging to me like a dependable child.

"Please Max? You're learning valuable skills and it counts as extra credit on your academic portfolio."

Max sighed and I found myself snaking my free arm around her shoulders and pulling her impossibly closer. She was on the verge of passing out but blast it all, I wanted her to agree first and as she could tell that, Max leaned out from under my chin and drowsily glanced up at me. She rubbed her at her eyes and stifled a yawn.

"Okay. Okay. I'll take the class but I better get some beer outta this."

Relieved to have Max's cooperation, I bent my head so I could gently press my forehead into hers.

"Of course, Maxine dear."

Huffing softly, Max shut her eyes and gently bumped her forehead against mine.

"Max. Never Maxine."

I grasped Max's chin and gently raised it.

"Max. Look at me."

It was struggle for her to do, where she was in the mist of falling asleep but eventually Max cracked her eyes back open and lifted them to meet my demanding gaze. My own eyes darted all around Max's face, my eyebrows knitted in concentration as I tried to read her and decipher her feelings.

"Max?"

I repeated her name, unsure if she heard me the first time.

"Yes?"

She replied softly, as if the others might overhear, though we were far away enough that they couldn't.

"Are you sure this is what you want? Living here? With us? With... me?"

Max did not answer right away. Instead, she remained silent, studying me, scrutinizing me almost. For a moment, her tired features was replaced with fear and confusion. Afraid I had spooked her into leaving, I placed my hand back on Max's cheek with comprehension dawning on my face.

"Hey, hey. Easy there Mad Max. I'm not trying to pressure you out of leaving I just want you to be comfortable with your choices up to this point. You seem happy but at the same time, look lost sometimes and I want to make sure we're not doing anything to make you feel that way."

Max's eyes fluttered shut when my thumb grazed over her cheek.

"You guys don't make me feel like I'm lost. If anything, you all make me feel good about what I've decided to do with my life. Being here with you Victoria is exactly what I need until I can sort through my emotions towards everything. But just to be clear, this isn't just about my fight with Rachel. It's... more than that."

She whispered, averting her eyes away from mine.

"It's nicely a little bit of everything. That includes... well, you know without me saying it right?"

I held my breath when Max's fingers snuck around my waist and hooked into my robe belt, tugging me forward. With Max this close to me, I could see the puffy, dark circles under her eyes. They... looked menacing against her pale skin and I decided, she really needed to go to bed. As in, right then and there.

"You're not sleeping much because of the attacks... are you?"

I asked, already knowing what her answer would be. With very little effort, Max dropped her forehead on my shoulder and moaned weakly.

"Not really. A couple of hours here and there."

Max inhaled deeply and buried her nose in the crook of my neck, smiling against the soft skin for no reason in particular. Then again, she was tipsy and everything might just be funny to her. It wasn't ten seconds later I heard her snoring fill my ears. Kate and Taylor glanced over at us, each smiling with approval at the sight of seeing Max resting peacefully for once. I closed my eyes when I felt the comforting weight of her gentle arms caving around me, engulfing me. In my effort to keep her subdued, I moved both hands onto her waist, then gradually rubbed her back, knowing it would create a soothing and safe sensation for her. We stood still like this for several minutes. I wasn't sure how long I held Max and quite frankly I didn't care. I just occupied myself by staring at the clock until I felt one of my legs cramp on me. At that point I called for Taylor to come take Max and relieve me of being her pillow. Laughing, Taylor bounced off the couch and made be line for Max. With my help, we carried Max to her bedroom and tucked her in for the day and hopefully, for the remainder of the oncoming night. Just as soon as we had put Max in bed, the door opened and Dana and Juliet poked their heads in to see what was happening. Spotting Max on her back, head rolled to the side with one arm draped over her middle followed by her snoring filling the room, they shared mutual, grateful glances then set their happy eyes on me. Juliet joined her palms and rested them on her cheek, and quietly mouthed,

"Is she really sleeping for once?"

I didn't have to answer her. Taylor took the liberty to confirm Juliet's suspicions by nodding her head. Excited at the news, Juliet and Dana covered their mouths and began a silent cheer dance. Hmph. Wasn't that cute. Max had cheerleaders and she didn't even know it. After their little show, they both winked and stepped away from the door and went back to doing whatever it was they had been occupied with before stopping by to check up on Max.

"Hey Vi. I'm gonna go take a shower. Okay?"

I didn't reply to Taylor nor did I notice how she made her exit and shut the door behind her with a soundless click. I was far too distracted by sitting down on the edge of the bed and doing my best to massage Max's hands and shoulders while she slept. I wasn't sure if the massage would relieve Max of her anxiety but I hoped it would keep her relaxed enough that she could catch up on some much deserved sleep.

* * *

Max didn't wake up until late afternoon the next day. Lucky for her, she didn't have any classes today. Even if she had I wouldn't of let her leave the house. The moment she came into the kitchen rubbing at her eyes, I stood up to greet her before anyone else present could.

"Good afternoon Max. Did you sleep well?"

Releasing a yawn, Max groggily nodded her response.

"Here Max. Come sit by me."

Kate offered, patting the chair beside her in hope that Max would join her at the table. Max started to go in that direction but I, being the spur-of-the-moment girl that I am, intercepted Max by grabbing her gently by the forearm and without little effort, pulled her into a warm one arm embrace. Turning her head lazily around, sleepy blue eyes looked at me questioningly. Without bothering to explain to the few girls sitting at the dinning table what I was about to do, I simply took Max out of the kitchen, guided her up the staircase and back to her room. There behind closed doors, I explained to her what I wanted to do.

"Max, pack a bag. I've made reservations for the two of us and for the next few days, we're going to a spa resort so you can get some extra quiet time in. When we're done, we'll come back and you can go back to doing whatever here. And yes, after classes we will return to the spa resort until our time is over."

Can I just say, I love how incredibly obedient Max was in that moment? Instead of fighting back or making an excuse, she nodded gently in agreement and gave me a sleepy, reassuring smile.

"That sounds... nice Victoria. I'd like that."

Turning away, Max slumped over to the walk-in closet and began to select the clothes she wanted to take with her to the spa resort. My bags were already in the car. All that remained was getting Max in my car and then our fun would really begin. Now, I was going out my way to spoil Max but also to provide her a distress outlet I didn't think I or the girls could give her in the manor. Maybe, just maybe being pampered and waited on 24/7 by professionals who specialized in rejuvenation would truly relieve Max of her pain.

"Are you cool with this Max? I'm doing it for you after all."

She nodded distractedly as she rummaged around in the walk-in closest and struggled to find what she wanted to take.

"I'm sure. It sounds like it'll be fun."

With nothing better to do, I helped her pack. Once she had everything she needed for the trip, we returned to the kitchen so Max could get something to eat, then we said our good-byes to the others and finally, after much awaited anticipation on my end, we hopped in my car to leave. The spa resort wasn't far from the manor but it was exceptionally far from the studio Rachel and Chloe were at and that was the whole point. I wanted to get Max far away from what I believed to be the core root to all her stress. Four days in a high quality hotel room with recreation would hopefully do the trick. As expected from someone who barely gets any sleep, Max slept the whole ride to the spa resort and I was grateful that she did but when we arrived, I had to wake her up from her slumber. It pained me to do it but I wanted Max to be awake for the next few events I had planned out for us.

Since half the day was already over, we went ahead and checked into our room and changed into more casual, comfortable clothes. Afterwards, we went out and I took her shopping just for the fun of it. Max didn't buy anything for herself but she did follow me into every shop and gave honest feedback for each outfit I tried on. A good hour and a half later, we walked out of the shopping center with what I bought. She carried a few bags on her wrist while I balanced the other two on mine. Since we had full VIP status, I took advantage of it and called the hotel, asking them to send their bus boy over to us. When he arrived, I had him take the bags of clothes to our room so neither Max or I had to pack them around everywhere we went. Granted, shopping might not have been the best therapy for Max but the two spa treatments we asked for definitely made her happy. By the time we retired to our room and got ready for bed, Max was so at ease, it was almost like she was a completely different person-which is exactly what I was aiming for. See, this kind of Max is what I wanted to see all the time. Bouncy, smiling, giddy Max. Not sleepy, strained, moody Max that looked like she was about to go off the deep end if you looked at her the wrong way... okay, that might of been a little over the top but seriously, she hasn't seemed like herself since her fight with Rachel last month so it was really nice to finally see her wind down a little.

"Hey Victoria?"

Max half asked, half yawned from her relaxed position on her bed.

"Hmm?"

I hummed happily, stretched out in a similar manner on my own bed. Currently, both of us were in our nightwear and staring up at the ceiling. Max's arms were tucked comfortably behind her head and I had my hands spread out on my stomach with my fingers laced together.

"I had fun today. I haven't felt this good in forever. Wowser, I can't even remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much."

Bam. Her response confirmed that my plan was a total success and it was good to know the objective fell through. At least for today. Pleased with the fruits of my labor, I smiled slightly, eyes still fixed on the ceiling above me.

"My pleasure. So Max, can I ask you question?"

"Shoot."

Without looking at her I asked,

"Which guy at our school gets your gears going? Any of them? Because for me, they're all beneath me and have yet to give me a reason to let them breathe the same air I do. And no, that is no exaggeration."

Max blinked and with the mood killed, Max turned her head on the pillow and glanced over at me at same time I chose to look at her.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Drumming my fingers casually on my stomach, I shrugged.

"Well, putting it more bluntly which one would you rather see naked and bang so hard you wouldn't be able to remember your name?"

I watched Max sit up in offense. With a bewildered look on her face, she thrust her arm to the side as she exclaimed,

"No one! What the- _why?_ Why do you and every girl and their sister have to be like that?"

Before I could answer, she tore into me again, this time with some more edge in her voice.

"Why do you have to talk about men in such graphic terms? Huh?"

My intrigued stare and raised eyebrow must have made Max feel uncomfortable and feel like she was being shot down because she blushed and quickly glanced away. Smiling, I smoothly inserted my own honest thoughts on the subject.

"I didn't mean to upset you with my question Max. I was just curious. Most girls our age think about these kinds of things. It's completely normal for us to discuss one's sexual frustrations."

Max scoffed lightly and a bitter chuckle slipped through her lips seemingly out of nowhere. The sound of it, was a combination of irony and disgust. I waited patiently waited to see what she might say in her defense.

"Well then I guess I'm not "normal" and despite my efforts to be different and fit in, I'm just the pathetic shy cliche geek with some small standards because I don't like to think of boys _or_ girls in that kind of context."

Her words cut me deep and I wasn't sure why. Still looking at her, I slowly sat up and guiltily rubbed at the back of my neck, realizing I had hit a delicate nerve. To show I was genuinely sorry for it, when I opened my mouth to speak, my tone was soft and thoughtful.

"You're a really sensitive girl."

I paused, peering at Max closer with the sudden urge to learn more about her.

"Aren't you?"

Turning her head, Max crossed her arms and deliberately denied the truth staring at her in the face.

"What? No! I just..."

Max trailed off and started to shift around restlessly.

"I just think there's more to it than that. In a relationship with friends that is."

I nodded a little, indicating that I was listening and wanted her to go on and elaborate. Max let the silence between us stretch for a bit and studied the plant in the far corner of the room by the AC unit. When she built up some more confidence, she attempted to share her feelings with me again.

"I don't how to explain it to you Vi."

"Try."

I gently encouraged her, hoping she would attempt to go deeper in our discussion.

"It's more than just the physical stuff."

Came the simple, soft response. Taking a deep breath, Max broke her gaze with the plant and found mine instead. Lifting her arm, she moved her hand towards herself then at me, defining the space between us.

"Don't get me wrong. Being able to express genuine affection to someone, I believe is good in friendships. It's how we communicate how feel towards the other person. That stuff is important in any kind of relationship. Same principle applies for those in romantic relationships with deeper levels of affection that um... usually leads up to sexual activity."

Max took this time to rest her hand over her heart.

"But when _I'm_ with someone, boy or girl, I want to focus on other things."

Max looked up at the ceiling, her expression pensive and very focused.

"I want to be valued, respected, heard and understood. But more importantly, I want to be loved for me and I want to be able to talk about stuff. But to get as close as I have with Rachel and Chloe, a soulmate of the same sex, I don't just want to talk about secrets and junk. I want to be able to do things that..."

I saw how Max's face softened as she continued to speak and it brought a small smile to my face. Honestly? I could listen to her talk all day and never get bored.

"I couldn't do with anyone else in a non-sexual way, if that makes any sense? It's like I have this awesome source of love and affection for them and want to be able to show it and say it with my body without becoming anything else."

O.M.G. I was practically melting on my mattress and suddenly, I found myself gazing at her with nothing but pure admiration for everything she had just said. What she told me was personal, her own respectable opinion and so profound I almost felt unworthy to hear it.

"Whoa Max. That's heavy. I can see this quiet child with a camera has given much thought to the things she finds important."

She looked at me as I gradually laid back down and got comfortable again.

"So as far as our friendship is concerned. We're not on Rachel and Chloe's level, obviously but... earlier you mentioned wanting to be able to be able to talk about stuff... do you mean things like what we just talked about? Or am I missing the whole point of this conversation because I'm down to talk about whatever."

Max thought to herself for a long moment, rolling the question around in her mind. Finally, she just shook her head and laughed.

"I don't know Victoria. I just want to chill with my friends, personal and impersonal and talk about whatever kind of stuff there is to discuss between me and that person."

Grinning, I raised my eyes to the ceiling and quickly added onto the drawn out answer.

"Like _this_ kind of-"

I made quotations with my fingers.

" "stuff" we're doing right now?"

Just to see if I was on track, I lowered my gaze and stole a quick peek over at Max just in time to see her lips curl up in amusement.

"Yeah... I guess so."

Max mumbled and just like that, she ceased all communication, got comfy under the sheets and flopped on her back. Easing up onto my elbows, I assessed the woman beside of me on the bed, studying the relaxed, but stale expression on Max's face.

"Max? Is this why you came to my house? Because they weren't being sensitive to your feelings and not letting you talk about things? Or is it more then that or is it as simple as Rachel just royally screwed up with you?"

Not hearing a response, I sat up completely so I could get a better look at her.

"Max?"

At that precise moment, Max rolled onto her side and faced me but she was fast asleep and her arm sub-consciously went over the edge of the mattress. She took a few deep breaths, then her breathing slowly turned into a supple snore. With a half smile on my face, got up off my bed and went to her with the intention to tuck Max in. And just because I could, I leaned in and pecked her lovingly on the forehead.

"Goodnight Max."

I thought about going back to my bed, then I straight up caved into the temptation to sleep beside Max. With a brief clapping of my hands, every light in the room shut off. The lights killed, I got in behind Max and with an impish smile on my face, I sneakily trailed my arm across her side and without further hesitation, I gently rolled Max onto her back and snuggled into her side. My arm still draped over her, I pinned her and kept her in place and rested my head on her shoulder, gingerly letting Max's breathing lure me to sleep.


	13. Episode 13: Wounded 3

Three solid months had passed since Max's choice to leave the studio and the other two inhabitants suddenly found themselves changing against their wills. Chloe wouldn't admit it in front of Rachel or when she saw Max, but she secretly would cry sometimes when she really desired Max's company and on rare occasion, she would re-read text conversations just to reclaim a past feeling of joy. However, the absence of Max at the studio wasn't Chloe's main problem.

Rachel was.

It was hard enough for Chloe to be on the receiving end of Max and Rachel's feud, but now she had to deal with Rachel's raging mood swings, her stubbornness to admit she was wrong and Max was right and spending money to replace every single glass, plate or dining utensils in the studio Rachel always destroyed when she needed to release her frustration. No matter how much Chloe was tempted to go over to Victoria's for Rachel's sake and intervene, she remained on the side lines and kept her mouth shut. Overall, Chloe was happy that Max was branching out and doing something for herself. Sure she'd rather Max not do those things with Victoria but as far as Chloe could tell, Victoria was taking good care of Max. It showed on Max's face every time Chloe spotted them together in public or randomly at the college when she offered to drive Rachel to and from class. In all the time Max had been gone, the studio had become dull, boring and to an certain extent, abandoned. Chloe got job so she could help bring in some extra cash for the household in general but also to help her coop with situation as a whole. That and Chloe had already been considering applying to get a job long before Max moved out so she could contribute to the group. Although Chloe knew Rachel didn't need money and Max was decent with her funds, Chloe still wanted to help out, mainly so she could spoil her soulmates on whim but in order to do that, she needed money.

Depending on her mother and David all the time bothered Chloe. With Max gone and having the extra time open, it dawned on Chloe one day that they were living her and Rachel's dream in L.A. but now that she had achieved that with Rachel, Chloe wanted to see what else she could do. A job seemed like a good idea at the time so she put in more effort than usual and lucked out. Due to this change in Chloe's life, she wasn't home as much but even if she was, she wouldn't see Rachel as much like she used to. Rachel was always gone and rarely caught Chloe when she was off from work. Sometimes, Rachel chilled at a friend's house for days without warning. When she grew bored of being around those people, she went bar hopping and would always come home drunk. On top of Rachel becoming a borderline alcoholic, every other weekended she visited and crashing at her aunt's duplex. Even on the days Rachel didn't have class and Chloe was off from work, Rachel wouldn't stay around very long, insisting to go on shopping sprees by herself and by doing so, she excluded Chloe from the outing on purpose.

One day, Chloe caught her going out the door and confronted Rachel, practically begging Rachel to come spend some time with her. Hearing the desperation reflect in Chloe's voice, Rachel agreed and the two went to hang out at a bar downtown. It was there, Chloe attempted to bond with Rachel but Rachel was far more interested in partying with strangers then engaging with Chloe. It hurt Chloe to see Rachel desensitized to her feelings and the cold, piercing glare Rachel's eyes seemed to constantly wear anymore but Chloe didn't push Rachel or call her out on anything. She wanted to but she feared if she did, she might upset Rachel more and that was something Chloe wasn't willing to risk.

After a few rounds of spirits and other hard selections, Rachel would get up, leave their table and go to bathroom periodically throughout the night and have "quickie" sessions with random guys in a stall. At first, Chloe over looked Rachel's dubious behavior and continued to drink and munch on the provided snacks the waiters provided. Completely oblivious to what Rachel was really doing in the bathroom, Chloe was chill with Rachel leaving to use the bathroom but when Rachel failed to return after a long length of time had passed, Chloe put her beer down, deciding she might need to investigate after all and see what was taking Rachel so long. Looking at her watch, Chloe glanced up, eyes scanning the busy bodies mingling throughout club.

"Did she fall in or what? She's been gone for almost an hour and a half."

Annoyed, Chloe tapped her fingers restlessly on table's surface, grumbling unhappily to herself. After waiting for several more minutes, Chloe scooted her chair out and stood up, irritated. Chloe was still sober despite the varies bottles and shot glasses she had emptied. Standing up was easy enough but when she started to walk, Chloe did experience some off-balance moments that caused her to stumble over her feet a few times. Not in the mood to fall down or make a fool of herself, Chloe looked over and saw a blank wall, free of people and for the time being, chose to use the wall as a support until the room stopped spinning. When Chloe was sure she could hold her own, she carefully eased off the wall and went about her on going search for Rachel. Struggling to keep a straight line, Chloe slipped through the thick crowd and pushed her way across the dance floors and kept going until she finally arrived at the bathrooms. Raising her blood shot eyes, Chloe took a bold breath and went into the bathroom. Chloe had no idea what she'd find or what to expect. But she reasoned if she walked in on something extreme, she wouldn't be surprised. Coming around the corner, Chloe saw varies dancers and a few of the club's employees standing off to the side, all of them looking embarrassed for some reason but Chloe didn't really care why they appeared uncomfortable. She just wanted to find Rachel, go back to their table and finish their girl's night out in peace. Very carefully, Chloe walked down the narrow way, noting that some of the girls were in stalls on their knees, puking their guts up. As Chloe passed each door and neared the end, she heard Rachel's hard groans of pleasure, followed by the grunting of a deeper voice. Chloe stopped, blinked then quickly glanced over her shoulder at the line of women behind her. They still looked bothered and all at once, Chloe put it together and understood why. Craning her neck back around, Chloe raised her fist, preparing to knock on the door but stopped short hearing Rachel's aroused cries of ecstasy.

In the stall, Rachel had a guy pinned to the side wall and her greedy hands latched onto his hips. Their pants and underwear were down to their ankles and she took full advantage of the position she was in. Rachel gave no thought to her partner's comfort nor did she take into consideration the power behind each of her thrusts might be hurting him. Completely lost in a sea of heated passion, Rachel kept bucking into him. The man she was banging was up for getting risky with Rachel in the bathroom but if he had known it was going to turn into a torture fest, he might of thought twice before agreeing to go with her. Desperate to get away from her, the man actually started to squirm and asked Rachel to stop but Rachel just pinned him harder into metal slick wall and caused him to gasp loudly.

"Baby I'm not even _close_ to being done with you."

Rachel tilted her head at the man.

"Aren't you having fun with me?"

She asked in a suggestive tone, raising an elegant eyebrow. Maybe she was really asking too much from a random dude she caught by the scruff of his shirt near the wall but instead of stopping and cutting him some slack, Rachel chose to blame her lack of control on the booze. Tipping his head back, the man took the question in stride, figuring that there was no point in lying. He _was_ enjoying himself but of course, that didn't mean he was becoming alarming uncomfortable with the brashness Rachel was delivering.

"I am. But-"

"But what?"

Rachel smoothly interjected, leaning in and blinking slowly. The young man swallowed and unexpected lump in his throat, very much intimidated by the cool blue eyes studying his bruised lips and cheeks. The dim overhead lights of the bathroom bathed across Rachel's smooth, pale skin, highlighting her stunning features and giving her regal quality. Although the man conceded the look in Rachel's eyes was anything but dignified. It was naughty and mischievous and the slight upturned smirk of those luscious lips was downright sensual and decadent and the reason he had fallen for her from the start.

"I'm doing most of the work. Aren't you going to wear me out and give me a reason to call you up in the morning?"

Rachel's cruel smile sent shivers down the man's spine and he jerked his head to the right, refusing to look at her. Rachel watched him, insulted at his reaction. As punishment, Rachel let go of his hips, stopped moving and grabbed at his forearms with surprising strength. This action made the man glance back around at Rachel and suddenly, he found himself being pinned by Rachel but in much more, painful way and just like that, Rachel tipped forward and their tongues dueled for dominance. The sweet smell of alcohol drifting between them, flooding their senses. Since Rachel wasn't going to let go, the man inwardly sighed and decided to submit to her call, which is exactly what Rachel wanted. Pleased with the outcome, Rachel dragged a lazy hand up under the man's shirt and ran it across his abed stomach. Rachel idly stroked the soft, but firm skin and marveled in its softness. Her other hand left the man's neck and instantly, Rachel heard the him sigh into her mouth as she grasped a pectoral, selfishly rotating the flexing flesh in her hand. Even though the man was cross at Rachel for dominating him, he pulled his head back and broke their kiss and stared at her in astonishment. Rachel... was really good at what she did and his gray eyes were hazy in desire as he clenched under Rachel's heated gaze. Rachel eased back in and kissed him on the lips softly, trailing her mouth across the man's jaw and nipped lightly at the skin behind his ear. Feeling it, the man groaned and became weak in the knees as Rachel continued to fondle him. A moment later, the man let out a very dreamy sigh as Rachel continued to knead at his chest. Suddenly, he felt Rachel's slender hand twist around his back and settle on his rear with a possessive squeeze.

Now Chloe had the same expression on her face like the other women and she was blushing right along with the lot of them, if not harder. Raising her fist a second time, Chloe glanced to the side, frowning as she heard Rachel release another loud, throaty moan, followed by the entire stall shaking violently. No longer able to take another second of listening to Rachel's intercourse, Chloe lifted her fist again and pounded on the door, very harshly and with every intention to break up whatever it was Rachel had going on in the stall.

"Okaaay Rachel. Let the poor sucker go. Don't you think you've tortured your viewers, myself included, long enough sista?"

Chloe took a defined step away from the stall door hearing the latch unlock. The man stumbled out, struggling to pull up his pants and deliberately ignored the glares from the other women as he rushed by them to get to the exit. No shame on her face, Rachel bent over and pulled her pants back up in front of Chloe, not even phased by the rude looks of disapproval from her fellow species. When she finished, she stepped out of the stall and instantly, Chloe crossed her arms and shook her head just enough to where you see it. Before Rachel could say anything, Chloe stepped back in and forced Rachel to enter the stall again. Now with her and Rachel inside the stall, Chloe turned away momentarily so she could shut the door and pull the silver latch down. With the door securely locked, Chloe faced Rachel, trying hard not to get distracted by the stall's setting.

"I thought you wanted to leave? Why are we back in here?"

Chloe dropped her arms and pointed a lazy finger into Rachel's shoulder, finally starting to the effects of the alcohol. She kept her act together, for the sake of conversation at the most.

"You know what I just realized? This makes your tenth trip tonight. And to think, all those times you claimed to use the restroom it was so you could bed the men in the bar.

Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes just slightly, already bored with the topic.

"You're surprised by this?"

Chloe sincerely thought about Rachel's response and tossed around the possibilities outside of the obvious. Convinced there was no other alternative, Chloe lost her balance a bit but caught herself and went over to lean against the door of the stall for support.

"No. But I thought we agreed we were getting out tonight so we could properly discuss our situation."

Chloe dropped her head and a bitter laugh rolled off her lips, startling Rachel.

"You know, it's odd."

Rachel arched an eyebrow.

"What is?"

Chloe leveled her gaze with Rachel's, her eyes searching Rachel's gently. Chloe found it incredibly sad that Rachel couldn't find the answer for herself and she, of all people, had to be the one to tell her.

"You weren't this active when Max was home... so why are you so out of control with her gone?"

Rachel completely evaded the question and acted like Chloe hadn't said anything of importance.

"Did you order another round while I was away?"

That was not what Chloe wanted Rachel to say but she let her off the hook for the moment. She was starting to feel sleepy from all the drinking, it was hot in the bathroom, almost to the point of suffocating and the smell of musk was overwhelming so bad, she almost couldn't think straight.

"Yes. Why?"

Rachel walked around Chloe, who eased off the door seeing what Rachel was after. With a flip of a finger, Rachel unlocked the stall door stepped out into the open. Still not paying any attention to the stares from the other women present, Rachel sauntered over to the sink and washes her hands. She splashed cold water on her face before leaving the bathroom, without Chloe and without a care in the world.

"Rachel!"

Chloe stumbled out of the stall and followed in behind her, but stopped short hearing her smartphone go off. Jutting her lower lip forward, Chloe scowled, wondering who on earth would be calling her at such an ungodly hour of the night. The number that appeared on the lock screen made her eyes widen and when she saw the picture I.D. she resisted to the urge to fist bump the air. It was Max. Chloe and Max talked on a regular basis but ever since Chloe had started working, she struggled to find time to talk with Max so if Max went out of her way to contact her first, it always made Chloe happy. Anxious to speak to her, Chloe stopped in the middle of the crowd, got bumped by patrons a few times but she didn't mind. Blocking out the scenery and forgetting all about Rachel, Chloe put one finger in her ear to dull out the noise and the phone against the other.

"Max?"

Chloe sounded hopeful, thinking Max was going to say something but the excitement in her diminished hearing Victoria's voice speak up instead.

 _"Chloe."_

Chloe frowned and just like that, the mood was killed. With nothing better to look forward to, Chloe sighed and started walking towards the table.

"Victoria?"

She ground out through clenched, forcing the bite in her tone back for curtsy sake.

 _"Hello."_

Victoria replied politely, noting the disappointment in Chloe's voice and naturally took pleasure from it.

"Why are you calling me on Max's phone?"

 _"Because you have yet to add me to your contact list so I can call you personally. Anyway I just wanted to-"_

Losing her patience, Chloe cut Victoria off deliberately.

"Is Max there? Let me talk to her."

Victoria sighed on her end, irritated with the conversation already.

 _"Max is_ _asleep_ _Chloe and no, before you ask, I'm not waking her up for a stupid phone call."_

Insulted, Chloe's eyes slotted in anger and her right eyebrow twitched twice, marking her agitation.

"Stupid phone call...?"

Chloe stopped herself from speaking, unable to bring herself to finish what she wanted to say because she was too distracted by her building rage to focus on what she originally wanted do.

 _"As I was saying before,_ _Max wants to stay with us another month."_

Chloe scoffed, not surprised to hear that Max wasn't coming home.

"Is that so?"

Chloe found the table and sat down with a heavy sigh. Raising her eyes, she glanced over the neon pillar lamp in the middle of the table at Rachel. Rachel was downing shot after shot and well on her way to getting even more wasted. Chloe was tempted to hang up and join her but her pride wasn't about to let her lose to Victoria Chase. As if being able to sense the challenge Chloe was projecting Victoria dared to add,

 _"Yes. I wanted to let you know because she didn't look like she was going to tell you. Look Price, whatever you and Rachel did, do us all a favor and fix it! I don't mind Max living with me but it's obvious you've done something horribly wrong to upset her off and makes her not want to go home."_

Dumbfounded by Victoria's response, Chloe's jaw dropped.

"Whoa, time out. Let's get some facts straight here Victoria."

Even though Victoria couldn't see her, Chloe felt the need to point at herself to emphasize her position in the argument.

" _I_ didn't do a thing! If Max doesn't want to come home, that's fine but it's not because of something I did."

Chloe's voice rose but Rachel wasn't affected by it, she just kept on drinking quietly in the background.

 _"Riiiight. Sure you didn't."_

Chloe leaned forward and grabbed the edge of the table with her free hand, needing to hold onto something so she could channel her anger. It was either gripping the table and running her nails into the smooth surface or standing up and making a scene in the middle of the bar. Since Chloe didn't want to get kicked out, she chose a more quiet way of expelling her frustration at Victoria.

"Victor-"

Chloe's mouth shut abruptly hearing the dial tone beep repetitively. Disgusted, Chloe put the smartphone down beside her plate of food and shot Rachel a dark glare.

"Well Rachel, I hope you're hella happy!"

Rachel sloppily moved the rim of her shot glass away from her mouth and just stared at Chloe through half shut, glazed over eyes. Clearly, it wasn't going do Chloe any good to yell at Rachel. She was far too wasted to absorb anything. Rolling her eyes, Chloe leaned back and threw one arm behind her chair, shaking her head in defeat. She wasn't sure what pissed her off more. Victoria and all of her cockiness... or Rachel's lack of control on everything and her horrible timing at getting drunk when Chloe genuinely wanted to sit down and talk about things. Seeing the change on Chloe's face, Rachel finished off her shot and carefully tried to pour herself another glass.

"Chloe if you have something to say, I'd rather you say it then sit there in silence and brood like that."

Chloe made a clicking sound with her tongue on the inside of her mouth, firmly fixing her angry gaze on Rachel.

"You want me to express myself? Okay then."

Chloe slammed her fist down on the table, causing Rachel's hand to waver. As a result, the bottle pitched forward too fast and the whiskey poured out too much and flooded the shot glass. Ignoring the spill for the moment, Rachel set whiskey off to the side and frowned at Chloe for causing her to make a mess.

"This is your fault!"

Chloe barked, going on as if the accident she caused had never happened. Squaring stiff shoulders, Rachel rolled her eyes, somehow expecting this kind of verbal attack from Chloe, but no where near ready to properly defend herself.

"We established that on day three after she hadn't come home. Next?"

Chloe glared at Rachel, unimpressed at the nonchalant attitude and opened her mouth to say something when a young man approached their table. Both of their heads turned in his direction. Chloe with a raised eyebrow and Rachel with an inviting smirk playing on her lips.

"Hello handsome."

Rachel stood up to greet the young man and offered her cleavage as a bonus. Instantly his eyes went there before snapping back up at her face. Rachel felt like she was standing on jelly but she didn't have to worry about having to keep her balance for too long. Once the gent was close enough to her, Rachel flung her arms around his lean neck and slumped against him for support. Raising her chin off his broad chest, Rachel smashed her mouth against his and gave him such a deep, passionate kiss, it left a little unsteady on his feet. How Rachel went from wanting Chloe to confess how she felt, to completely ignoring her presence and grabbing at yet another random male of the evening was a skill all on its own. Unable to look away from them, Chloe blushed from witnessing such an intense kiss.

"Rachel!"

Chloe exclaimed, throwing one arm up in frustration.

"What is wrong with you?!"

Not in the mood to get scolded for having fun, Rachel let the guy go and he ambled off with a grin on his face. Feeling herself start to sway Rachel quickly sat back down, in fear that she might get sick to her stomach if she continued to stand up.

" _Rachel_ , _Rachel_ , _Rachel_."

She complained, mocking Chloe's voice.

"For land's sake. I know my name Chloe and you've over killed it tonight. What do you want from me?"

Chloe watched Rachel pick up her full shot glass with shaky fingers, polish it off, then grab hold of the whiskey bottle and gulp the remains of it down like it was nothing.

"Look at us. We're miserable and fighting when really, all we want is Max."

Rachel set the empty bottle down and without asking for permission, Rachel reached across the table and took Chloe's smartphone. Before Chloe could get it back, Rachel was already in the process of calling Victoria.

"Which is why we should get her back. Right now."

All at once, Chloe's anger was replaced with uncertainty.

"Uhh... I dunno if calling Victoria is a good-"

Rachel's death glare silenced Chloe on the spot. With Chloe finally quiet, Rachel waited for Victoria to pick up. Rachel had to call three times in a row before she heard Victoria's voice.

 _"What_ _is it_ _now Price-ber?"_

Impaired as she was, the label Victoria provided rubbed Rachel the wrong way.

"Did you just..."

Rachel trailed off and spared Chloe a wary glance, then found herself staring ahead at the busy environment before her.

"Ship me and Chloe just now?"

Realizing it wasn't Chloe who called her but Rachel, Victoria's face dropped. She didn't want to mess with the obvious drunk brunette but then again, Victoria found it interesting that Rachel was calling period. Instead of dreading the conversation, Victoria saw it as a way to burn and humiliate Rachel.

 _"Well seeing as you_ _completely_ _messed up with Max, I feel it's only natural I take her from the two people who didn't_ _appreciate_ _her or_ _respect_ _her feelings. Honestly Rachel, you and Chloe are perfect for each other. You have been fooling yourself to think you could turn Max into another mini you and that Rachel, is where you royally screwed up. Yet neither you or the blue haired gorilla seem_ _capable_ _of admitting that."_

Victoria grinned hearing Rachel catch her breath.

 _"But don't worry. You can Chloe all to yourself. Since Max has agreed to live me another month, I will be her entertainment. After all, Chloe is high maintenance, just like you. Both of you have more experience in the bedroom then Max ever could even dare to dream of and quite frankly, even if the three of us were guys and Max remained as she was, she'd sooner suck my cock before yours. Want to know why? Because I give her my everything where you've made it quite clear to everyone who knows you, that you will only give enough to keep things pacified if nothing at all."_

Victoria chuckled a bit hearing Rachel stumble over her words. Seeing Rachel's cheeks redden, Chloe titled her head to the side, curious to know what Victoria could possibly of said that made Rachel blush so hard.

"What did she say?"

Rachel glanced over at Chloe, stared at her a few seconds, then turned her attention back to Victoria.

"Victoria that was-"

The sudden intrusion of a hard hiccup interrupted Rachel and made Victoria cringe. Wincing slightly from the after effects of it, Rachel shook it off and tried to talk again.

"Uncalled for and... and..."

At a loss of words, Rachel trailed off on purpose, struggling to think of a comeback. Noting the change, Chloe leaned across the table and gently shook Rachel's shoulder.

" _Seriously_ what did she say?"

Rachel shook head, refusing to tell Chloe.

"Look, I'll have you know Chloe and I care a lot more about Max than you do. And we're... we're..."

Rachel failed to defend her and Chloe's position due to the affects the alcohol having on her senses. Then it dawned on Rachel that she was yielding to Victoria when it needed to be the other way around. Rachel did not find Victoria's alpha attitude very becoming and she stopped trying to find a way to justify herself in the situation. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Rachel's eyes fluttered shut feeling a strong wave of dizziness hit her.

"Victoria. Don't screw with me right now. I don't answer to you."

Remembering the more important topic of the hour, Rachel quickly added,

"Where's Max?"

Rachel's drooping eyelids struggled to stay open. Even so, she pushed through the heaviness to stay awake so she could continue her chat with Victoria.

"I wanna talk to her."

Chloe eased back into her seat with a soft huff, already knowing what Victoria was going to say to that.

"Victoria told me she was sleeping and wasn't going to wake up for stupid phone calls."

Hearing this report from Chloe, Rachel frowned, choosing to believe Victoria was lying to them.

"Even if she is, wake her up Victoria... this is important."

Now Victoria was upset. Dropping all the crude jokes, she tore into Rachel without mercy.

 _"If you think hurting Max_ _physically_ _and emotionally is "caring" for her then I'm not sure I want her to keep staying with you guys period. I mean really. Did you ever stop to think she feels the same way after having 2/3 of the people she values the most hurt her in such a way, over and over?"_

Victoria looked down at Max who was resting on her chest and her eyes softened seeing Max snuggle closer into her.

 _"And furthermore."_

Victoria raised her head just slightly, lost all tenderness and went straight back to business with the other two women.

" _You heard Chloe._ _She's asleep._ _And like I told Chloe, I'm not waking her up for a stupid phone call just to talk to stupid people who can't get their stupid drama together."_

Rachel would of lashed out at Victoria and given her a piece of her mind if it hadn't been for something getting ready to come up her throat. With little time to spare, Rachel quickly set Chloe's smartphone down on the table and scooted her chair back a good ways before using both hands to grab onto the edges to use as leverage. Bending over, Rachel opened her mouth and threw up all over the floor. Some patrons close to their table stopped chatting with each other and turned to stare while others did their best not to and go about their way. Alarmed, Chloe stood up and went to Rachel's side of the table.

"Rachel!"

Chloe exclaimed then glared at the smartphone hearing Victoria burst out laughing. Standing beside Rachel, Chloe reached out and placed her hand on Rachel's back. She rubbed it in moral support as she picked up her smartphone and nearly shouted into it,

"You think this is funny?!"

Victoria chuckled shamelessly.

 _"Oh. I think this is hilarious. It's_ _exactly_ _what she deserves and gets for hurting Max and drinking way too much... shouldn't you be making sure things like this don't happen or is Queen Slut too much for you to handle without Max's help?"_

Chloe kept massaging Rachel's back and would wince at the harsh vomiting sounds Rachel made every so often as she continued to banter with Victoria and completely block out the onlookers stares and hushed murmuring.

"Dude! Why are you under the impression that _I_ need Max around to help me tame the wild beast inside of Rachel?! Not that it's any of your business, but I went five years without her in my life and did well for myself."

Chloe paused and quickly re-adjusted her focus. They needed to keep things about Max, not about her past with Max because God knows, the last thing Victoria needed was more of an reason to call her unfit to live with Max.

"Getting back to original topic, I can handle Rachel just fine! I'd like to see _you_ try living with a moody Amazon Princess who is so angry that despite all your honest efforts tosses you to the side, breaks every glass and plate in the house and snaps at you for the littlest things! You don't know anything about Rachel so who are you to judge me or her for that matter? Max affects her, big whoop and she's not taking it well and adjusting poorly. Go ahead and check that off the your list because that was to be expected. But don't you _dare_ accuse me of not doing my job! You who was willing to ask Max to do a harder job and risk her life just so you can have your parents come back. Shouldn't _you_ have been thinking about Max more back then? You kept the journal note, you read it multiple times, knew the truth and the consequences of her choices to mess with time and you still had nerve to ask her! Some _role model_ you are Victoria. I think the neighborhood slut has more going on than you do in that department."

 _"_ _Me_ _the_ _villain_ _? How would you of felt if your_ _parents was_ _that drunk bimbo next to you were dead huh? And you found out that someone else so_ _c_ _lose to you_ _is a_ _ble to change that? Wait, that's right, Max did change that for you Chloe. So don't go judging me you hypocrite and besides, your hero here is_ _sleeping with me_ _in my_ _bed_ _after her so called soulmates_ _hurt her. Funny how she feels safe with me, but not with the ones she_ _sacrificed everything_ _for. That aside, don't you or Rachel try to say I don't care about Max less than the two of you because I'm telling you right now, I do care about her. I love the geek just as much as you and Rachel if not more. But I for one, don't_ _intended_ _to ever make her cry like you all so_ _shamefully_ _have. So before pulling the black kettle card, maybe you two should take a good look at yourselves."_

Rachel finally stopped throwing up so Chloe balanced the phone in one hand and pressing it against her face then offered her arm for Rachel to use as a support. Grateful for Chloe's aid, Rachel linked her arm with Chloe's and with her assistance, Chloe was able to pull Rachel up out of the chair and into her one arm embrace.

"Black kettle? Love Max dearly? More than us? Victoria just how much do you know about Max? I was her childhood best friend. If this is about who knows her better then I'm sorry, you and Rachel loose. On top of that, do you know just how much, _the you know what_ , screwed her up? How it's affected her health and possibly, has damaged her permanently? Do you have any idea how tormented she was and still is to this day because of all the death and chaos she witnessed?"

Feeling herself about to be sick again, Rachel broke away from Chloe and staggered over to the restrooms. Knowing she wasn't going to make it inside, Rachel took off the lid to the trash can between the two double doors, doubled over and threw up so hard, bile and a very small amount of blood came up. Chloe ceased speaking so she could watch Rachel from where she stood, wanting to make sure Rachel was going to be all right. Already some employers were making their way over to the table with a mop bucket to clean up Rachel's mess. Not wanting to be in their way, Chloe slumped to the side, eyes still glued on Rachel and picked right off where she left off.

"You weren't staying up late holding her when she had panic attacks on and off for months. Rachel and I was. You weren't the one holding her when her mind showed her past and images of those she couldn't save, we were. You didn't face Mark Jefferson or suffer his sessions for six months alone in bunker like Rachel did in the alternate reality. You didn't see the damage and watch your second best friend become a lifeless shell. I did! You didn't agree to relive five years of your past in hope to get to that same person a second time before that horrible hour came but Max and I did and we openly accepted the consequences of our actions. I'll admit we depend on Max but we also love her unconditionally. We would lay down our lives for Max and not think twice about it. She's the reason Rachel changed for the better. She's the reason I started to hope again. We value her damn it and until you do just a pinch of the labor we've done for Max, I don't accept your so called deceleration of love for Max."

Victoria was saddened to hear what Max had to go through before getting to the current reality they were all in but also hurt by the comparison Chloe was using as a way to push her and her genuine intentions towards Max out the window.

 _"Of course her past is more than any person has gone through and yes, I'm fully aware how I wasn't apart of that past and how I treated her prior to how I am treat_ _ing_ _her now. You know Chloe, sometimes I honestly wish I had been there to protect her like you and Rachel had and help carry her burdens."_

Victoria frowned, inwardly angry at herself.

 _"But I wasn't and sadly, I have nothing to say to that but I'm here now, aren't I?"_

Victoria got defensive all of a sudden and sat up a little bit in the bed,

 _"FYI, if you think she hasn't_ _experience_ _panic attacks here you are sorely mistaken. And if you also think that all this stuff she's dealing with and not having the two of you, the ones that's been aiding her from the start is helping her, you're wrong about that too. Just because she's with me, doesn't mean she doesn't want or desire your all's company. And yet, who did she move in with? Who's holding her now?_ _I am!_ _Who's giving her that_ _unconditional_ _love you mentioned earlier?_ _I am!_ _I'm the caring for her and giving her affection. I'm the one she came running to three months ago, crying and holding onto me as if her life depended on it and whether you and Amber like it or not, I'm a part of Max's life too. I will try my hardest to make her feel welcome in my house, give her space and the attention she deserves."_

Victoria stopped speaking so she could take a deep breath and force herself to calm down.

 _"I'm not letting her go back. Not until you two sort out whatever it is you two need to figure out."_

Chloe had Victoria so worked up, she was almost on the verge of loosing it but she made sure to keep her voice in check as not to wake Max and stroked the cute freckled face to keep Max subdued in her slumber.

"Why you-"

Chloe froze and heard nothing but a dull, repetitive dial tone.

"What the?!"

Chloe pulled the smartphone away from her face and stared down at it in disbelief.

"Wench hung up on me... again."

Lifting her eyes, Chloe glanced across the room at Rachel who was now sitting on the ground, hugging the trash's can middle. Chloe sighed and carefully walked over to her fallen comrade. When she was standing in front of her, Chloe called for taxi to come and pick them up. They did drive her Dart to the club but she would have to wait until she was sober and come pick it up tomorrow.

"Come on Rachel, let's go home."

Stuffing her smartphone in her leather jacket's pocket, Chloe bent down, helped Rachel stand up then very discreetly, dragged her throughout the thick crowd and outside into the crisp air. Spotting a bench, Chloe situated them on it and gently placed Rachel's head on her shoulder. It wasn't five minutes into waiting for the taxi to come to their location, Rachel groaned weakly and sagged against Chloe, out cold. Turning her head, Chloe rested weary eyes on Rachel's face, unsure how to feel about everything. Sighing, Chloe gazed down at Rachel, no longer anger or frustrated at her. If anything, Chloe pitied Rachel and honestly wondered if Max choosing to remain distant was going to be her ruin.

In Victoria's house, Max laid on Victoria with a slight smile on her face, in utter bliss and completely oblivious to the intense phone call Victoria just had with her roommates. Inhaling slowly, Max released a deep, contended sigh. Shifting around to get more comfortable, Max clutched at Victoria and buried her nose into Victoria's neck, her hot breath hitting the skin every so often. The movement tickled Victoria and she giggled a little bit, finding Max's display of slumbering affection utterly adorable. Feeling Max's grip tighten, Victoria couldn't help but smile seeing Max's smile grow. Even though her own eyes were begging to be closed, Victoria remained awake for the moment and continued to watch Max sleep, not even bothered by the slight drool Victoria's priceless grow had accumulated from Max's mouth. Where some would find it repulsive, Victoria welcomed it because it meant, Max, for once, was in a deep sleep and sleep alone was something that rarely came easily to Max. And since Max had been having such horrible attacks, she confessed she didn't want to be alone when they happened so Victoria and some of the girls rotated letting Max sleep in their rooms so they could keep an eye on her. Out of the girls open to letting Max room with them during an attack, Victoria was the most open and most protective and it showed during quiet hours of the night when she could hold Max close to her.

"Max..."

Cocking her head, Victoria gently played with Max's cheeks, moving them in all directions and Max laid there innocently, unaffected by the stretching of her skin.

"I don't know how or when it happened, but I love you so much it's pathetic... and I will never let you go you freckled hipster. Well I mean, I will when Rachel and Chloe shape up but even then, I don't know if I want to."

Max stirred a little and sub-consciously began to nuzzle against Victoria's palms as Victoria steadily played with her warm cheeks. Before going to sleep herself, Victoria quickly, but gently, lifted Max's head up and she took a quick kiss from her. Kisses that no longer belonged to Rachel or Chloe. Now Victoria had rights over such foreplay and planned on taking full advantage of the opportunity. With the urge out of her system, Victoria lowered Max's head back down and whispered by her ear,

"Goodnight, Max... sweet dreams."

Sighing, Victoria's head fell back onto the pillow and immediately, Victoria drifted off to sleep.


	14. Episode 14: Unbreakable

Rachel went to the college the following the day but she ghosted through them all, barely keeping her appearance together. There were several times she had to raise her hand and ask for permission to use the restroom in a lot of her classes. Every period Rachel got sick to her stomach and by lunch time she was so miserable she could hardly stand herself and was on the verge of calling Chloe to come get her. Thankfully, Chloe had retrieved her Dart from the nightclub's parking lot earlier that morning before going into work. This time it would be Rachel leaving her car behind and having to pick it up later because Rachel was convinced she wasn't going to be able to drive home without pulling over, for even the tiniest motions made her nauseous. Sitting by herself at a table, Rachel ate very little and carefully sipped from her water bottle on and off until it was gone. After lunch period ended, Rachel somehow, miraculously managed to scrape through her first afternoon class and made it to her dance session. However, if her status worsened, Rachel decided if she got worse during or after, she'd call Chloe to come get her.

Dance and anything that dealt with it, was something Rachel loved and for the first time since the new semester started, their professor Mr. Myers was going to assign them dance partners. Rachel already had an strong hunch who Max was going to pick and just thinking about it made her chest swell with envy. Ignoring the painful pangs and protesting of her stomach, Rachel entered through the broad doorway and into the classroom among the crowd of other dance students. She tried her best to ignore the brushing of shoulders and bumping, fighting the waves of nausea every time it happened. Victoria, who had shown up early with Max before anyone else, spotted Rachel from the corner of her eye. She saw the damage of last night and couldn't help feel a slight warmth of satisfaction but the longer Victoria studied at Rachel's pitiful stance, Victoria regrettably felt compassion for her and the smirk began to fade gradually began to fade. Max was already standing beside Victoria. Curious to see who it was Victoria was looking at, Max peered around Victoria's shoulder to see what had captured Victoria's attention. Seeing Rachel leaning against the balance pole, hand on her stomach and the other on the wall, her defined sag in posture and the exhaustion haunting her beautiful features, flustered Max. Clearly Rachel was hung over. Really bad for the looks of it. Worried, Max quietly excused herself from Victoria so she could go to go over to speak with Rachel. They hadn't said much to each other in the three months she had been gone. Max knew making the first move might cost her but she couldn't help it. Rachel looked like death warmed over and in spite their differences and what had been said back then, Max still cared about the well being of her roommates. Rachel especially.

"Hey Rachel?"

Hearing someone address her and a hand touch her arm, Rachel's eyes fluttered half way open. Taking a slow breath, she cautiously turned her head in the direction of the voice and instantly found herself gazing tiredly at Max. Upon approaching Rachel, Max saw Rachel was in a world of her own from the many attempts she tried getting Rachel's attention. It was only when Max drew closer and delicately placed her hand on Rachel's shoulder, still trying to get Rachel to notice her presence, did Max finally receive an answer. It may have been but a simple greeting with her eyes, but seeing how the older teen had stiffened and froze momentarily, Max guessed Rachel was doing all she could to restrain herself.

"You feeling okay? You obviously aren't doing that great seeing how you might paint this room with your dinner."

Max paused and briefly glanced at the wall Rachel was leaning against.

"And the fact that you're getting pretty cozy with that pole and the wall there."

Max asked out of concern, but made sure to keep her tone neutral to gauge Rachel's reaction.

 _Man, I hope she doesn't attack me too much for doing this._

Max half joked to herself, wondering if for a moment, Rachel actually would. They hadn't ended on the best terms and Rachel hadn't exactly gone out of her way to show Max that she was over it. Frowning slightly, Rachel gave Max a lazy once-over using her eyes. Rachel didn't know what Max wanted and she was too sick and too tired to point out the obvious and start a fight. All she wanted, besides Max coming home, was to lay down in a dark room with an ice pack on her face and sleep until she started to get her bearings again. Easing off the pole and no longer using the wall as a support, Rachel stepped closer to Max, leaned in and dropped her forehead onto Max's shoulder. Neither of them were expecting this but Rachel's body was so sluggish and sensitive at the moment, she almost couldn't afford to not use something to rest against. Max's shoulder was simply there and convenient.

"Max."

Rachel remarked softly, her voice barely even there. Blocking out the rest of the classroom and everyone in it, Rachel inhaled the scent of Max's hair and had the tame desire to run her fingers through it, knowing she'd take comfort in the softness she'd feel. Before she could that, she felt Max tense. Rachel wasn't sure if it was because they hadn't physically made contact after all this time and it somehow put Max on edge or if Max was reacting to being touched by her and was remembering what it felt like to have Rachel that close again. In her desperation to keep Max near her, Rachel struggled to lift her forehead off Max's shoulder and gave her such a yearning look of desire, Max had to make herself to step away from her and turn around, afraid she'd break under Rachel's stare if she didn't.

"Max wait."

Rachel reached out and gently grabbed Max's wrist, forcing her to stop. Not trusting herself with the way things were going, Max opted to just leave and head back over to Victoria before her resolve totally disappeared. As Max went to take another step forward, Rachel tugged on her wrist and for the moment, Max seemed to be stuck in place. Not turning around, Max decided to stay facing away, with her back to Rachel and speak quietly to her.

"Rachel please. I just wanted to check up on you. I'm still against coming back home but that doesn't mean I don't care."

Max glanced over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

"Which is why I came over in the first place. I hope you understand?"

Looking straight ahead, Max dropped her head a little, frustrated that she had to keep Rachel at a distance but proud that she remained strong on her resolve. Rachel stared through the blur blinding her vision at her hand holding onto Max's wrist for a long moment. Unable find anything to say, Rachel slowly uncurled her fingers and resumed her position from before, exhaling softly under her breath.

"Yeah... I understand."

Being the sucker that she was known for and the unspeakable love she held for Rachel, the absolute hurt Max heard in the strong independent Amber's voice bothered her, so before anyone noticed, Max whipped around and placed a brisk kiss on Rachel's cheek. She let her lips linger and brush across the warm skin a few seconds then she stepped back, putting space between them. Rachel's eyes widened slightly, not expecting it. Content with herself, Max backed further away and scampered off over to Victoria. Blinking rapidly, Rachel touched the spot where Max kissed her, strangely pleased with the outcome, brief as it was. Closing burning, tired eyes, Rachel went back to tilting her head against the wall so she could rest a little more. It wasn't ten seconds into it, Rachel's head dropped slightly and she began to drift off when she felt someone else tap her twice on the shoulder. Sighing, Rachel lifted her head and was now forced to engage with none other than Victoria. Rachel inwardly cringed and wondered for a second if Victoria had seen Max give her a kiss and if that was the reason she was investigating.

"Can I help you Victoria?"

Rachel mumbled, trying to put on her usual tough act but was failing miserably. The second she tried to look mean and get all defensive, she shuddered and wound up looking away from Victoria. She gagged slightly, visibly struggling to keep back what was trying to come up. Groaning, Rachel hugged herself and heard Victoria chuckle softly and just like that, a chilled bottle of cherry gatorade was gently pressed against her fever stricken cheek. Shocked, Rachel reached up and took it, not sure how she should take Victoria's gesture of kindness.

"W-What's this for?"

Pleased with the sudden reaction out of Rachel when placing the cold bottle to her face, Victoria smirked.

"Well I guess Max has rubbed off on me a bit since we've been together a lot more but don't get the wrong idea here. I am still salty with for how you treated Max and if I had a say in all of this, she'd be staying with me indefinitely so you better hope it doesn't come to that. And for God's sake, get your priorities straight because your hipster drama?"

Victoria paused and motioned at all of Rachel in her drunken glory.

"Isn't going to cut it, so unless you don't care much for that amazing girl over there then by all means, keep going the way you are and destroy yourself Rachel. I am very happy to have Max living with me and I know she feels the same towards me and the other girls at the house."

Rachel hesitated with her answer, but knowing Victoria had the upper hand and Max was right across the room, Rachel wanted to look good so she nodded slowly, indicating that she heard Victoria and understood what was being asked of her. At that precise moment Professor Myers briskly sailed into his classroom and set his briefcase on his desk. The chatter died and all the students present turned their heads, giving him their undivided attention.

"Okay class settle down. Today will be your first introduction to Theater and Dance 101. I'm very honored to be working with you and I can't wait to see where this semester will take us. Now..."

Professor Myers trailed off and glanced around the room at the young faces looking anxiously back at him.

"We'll start by getting you guys paired off. Don't hesitate, be quick about it and find someone you think you'll be compatible with and please understand once you claim a dance partner, unless something dire happens or your dance partner drops out of my class, you are required to remain with your first choice, so pick wisely."

At last minute, Dana decided to sign up for the dance class. This didn't come as a surprise to the girls in the house. They all knew Dana had always wanted to be a dancer but Blackwell Academy didn't have a sponsored program for it. Los Angeles City College did and Dana was super pumped for the class to take off. It was nice to have Victoria and Max participating in the class with her. With them near, Dana didn't feel so excluded by the other students. As nervous as it made Dana to breach out and learn about her new peers, Dana was equally excited to have a dance partner and learn more about them. Dana loved and adored her roommates, but she did not want to select Victoria or Max as her dance partner. Dana preferred to explore fresh options outside of what she knew and an open candidate was currently giving her the nod and using his eyes, he encouraged her to come closer. Amused with his approach, Dana waved at a male student, greeting him. Before going over to make their partnership official, Dana playfully nudged Max with her shoulder.

"Good luck to you and Victoria."

Dana smirked at Max's shy smile and found how she tugged on Victoria's sleeve to acknowledge that she had chosen her so adorable, Dana reached out and hugged Max.

"Aww Max! You are so cute! I'm sure you guys will do great together. You've been talking about this since last semester. I hope you guys ace the class with me so we can advance together as group."

She whispered by Max's ear then stepped back, waved goodbye and made a bee line for the male student across the room. Feeling the tug from earlier, Victoria turned to Max, who was still clutching at her sleeve and gave her a devilish grin.

"Now _chéri_ , you know if you were anyone else I'd ruin your social life five times over for manhandling my cashmere sweater but Dana's right. You are adorable."

Giggling, Victoria embraced Max, leaned forward and pecked her lovingly on the forehead. As far as displaying their affection went, Victoria understood Max wanted to keep things to a basic level when in public and Victoria was down for that but she couldn't help but wonder sometimes if Max wanted things that way because she didn't want people to see it and get the wrong idea or if it was to spare Rachel's feelings or a little bit of both? Either way, Victoria was enjoying herself and as long as Max continued to live with her, Victoria wanted to make the most of it. Just because Victoria could, she sloppily spun Max around in some weird dancing fashion and childish laughter erupted from both teens. This playful display between the two of them caused many other students in the room to smile at their antics, except for Rachel. She knew she had no right to be jealousy glaring at them but she did it anyway and had to make a fist with one of her hands to keep herself from losing it. As much as she didn't want to admit it, seeing Victoria spin Max and then pull her back into her one arm embrace sorely reminded Rachel of her time with Max in the alternate reality and the Thanksgiving Festival where they performed their dance together on the stage in front of everyone. Blinking slowly, Dutch tore his eyes off Victoria and Max and onto Rachel. He foolishly dared to think after losing a fight to Rachel and destroying what little friendship that they had back then, he could saunter over to her and attempt to woo her, possibly convince Rachel to be his dance partner. The second Rachel saw Dutch coming her way, Rachel quickly eased off the balance pole, scanned the room for somebody, caught a glimpse of Davis looking at her and decided Davis was her ticket out of a headache. Ignoring Dutch's advancements, Rachel went over to Davis. Dutch froze, seeing the obvious dodge and relief play across Rachel's face when Davis nodded her at and offered Rachel a wry smile. Annoyed, Dutch rolled his eyes and sought for himself another dance partner.

When all of his students had paired off, Professor Myers opened up with a speech, explaining that his course would teach the fundamentals of dance. Later on in the semester, he would issue different assignments that suited each pair. Ballroom, stomp, hip-hop, tap, ballet and so much more. Depending on what he saw from the pairs, would determine what kind of dance the students would be expected to learn, complete and then display at a showcase later on down the road. Towards the end of the class period, Professor Myers selected two pairs to demonstrate what they had learned from their first session in front of the entire class. Out of everyone he observed, Victoria, Max, Rachel and Davis were the four he thought were the best examples to use as an demonstration. Victoria and Max looked great together on the floor. Davis and Rachel were just as sharp with their presentation and their peers watched from the sidelines in awe. In the middle of displaying their skills, Max made eye contact with Rachel. It wasn't long but it was long enough their peers saw the tension thicken between the two. Thinking she could overlook it, Max went back to dancing the taught steps with Victoria, but even she couldn't deny the effect Rachel's stare had on her. She missed having Rachel around, but was Rachel sorry? Had Rachel learned anything? Dance class was not the place communicate those feelings so Max made sure to keep focused on Victoria and smash out her doubt toward the situation concerning herself and Rachel. Twenty minutes later, the pairs finished their presentation and gradually faced the crowd observing them. Professor Myers clapped his hands and the rest of the class followed shortly after. Max and Victoria smiled politely at the their classmates then stepped away from each other so they could go take a seat. Davis turned to Rachel, curious to understand what it was she saw earlier between her and Max, but stopped short, noting the change in Rachel's appearance. All the blood had drained from Rachel's face and she was sweating, harder than Davis was. Their dance routine was simple, just the basics, nothing excruciating, so Davis knew Rachel was suffering from something else to make her look so bad.

"Hey."

Davis reached out steady Rachel.

"You okay?"

Rachel shook her head. No longer able to fight the war raging in her stomach, Rachel hastily shrugged off Davis's hand and made a desperate dash for the door. Once outside of the classroom, she found the nearest trash can, swiftly approached it, hit her knees, grabbed it and threw up on and off for ten solid minutes. Davis remained behind in the classroom, standing along with everyone else. The music playing in the classroom nicely dulled out Rachel's vomiting, but Max knew better. She gave Rachel a reasonable length of time to return and sure enough, when she didn't see her come back, Max went after her, carrying a cold, wet towel and Victoria was right behind her. By the time they reached Rachel, she was still on her knees, holding onto the medium sized silver tin, face hidden from sight. Max glanced at Victoria and kindly asked her to get behind Rachel, pull her hair back and dab her lower neck with the towel while she called Chloe. There was no way Rachel was going to make it through the remainder of the day, that much was certain to the both of them when they saw Rachel rush out of the classroom without warning. In the middle of vomiting, Rachel heard the two of them talking softly but paid little attention to what either was initially saying. The foul stench of alcohol filled the small area and it made Max and Victoria grimace slightly every time they caught a whiff of it. Kneeling down on her knees, Victoria did exactly as Max instructed her to, trying her best to block out the hideous fumes coming from the trash can. Meanwhile Max dialed Chloe's number, hoping she'd be able to get a hold of her. Chloe happened to be on her lunch when she got the call. She saw Max's name pop up on the picture I.D. and grinned. Without hesitation, Chloe answered, already giddy at the thought of talking with Max.

 _"Hey hippie. Whatcha' up to? Shouldn't you be busy being a studious student about now?"_

"It's kind of hard to be all studious and everything when our mutual soulmate here is puking her guts up in class."

 _"Ya' don't say?"_

Chloe's tone dulled indirectly. She wasn't surprised Max was calling to report that Rachel was sick but she was a little impressed Rachel held out as long as she did.

"Me and Victoria are taking care of her for the moment and I know you're working and all but... is it possible you could come pick her up and take her home? I would do it but I'm not really not ready to return home. If I go through though doors, I'll want to stay. That and Rachel needs like, constant care right now and I'm not sure that she wants Victoria or I there when she comes round."

Max finished explaining and indirectly misinterpreted Rachel's longing and jealous glare for one of anger towards her and Victoria and thus, needing Chloe to come in their place.

 _"I told her to stay home, that she'd be sick as a dog but does she listen to me? Nope. She insisted to go in. Meh, what ifs. I'll head over right now and take off work early. My boss is pretty chill and laid back and I can make up the hours on my day off."_

Chloe paused as if remembering something important.

 _"Just outta curiosity..."_

Chloe lowered her voice, even though she had no reason to.

 _"How sick is she? Like, am I gonna need to bring a barf bag kinda sick, or just on and off at random sick?"_

Max turned away from her phone momentarily, glancing over her shoulder at gave her a quick once-over then looked back around before answering Chloe.

"Well, it looks like she's becoming very intimate with the trash can right now so I'd go with a barf bag, just to be sure. Wouldn't want the seats of your new car to get stained with upchuck now would we?"

 _"Great. I knew it. All right, hang tight. I'll be there in few."_

Victoria and Max stayed with Rachel for the reminder of their class period. Eventually Professor Myers did come out see what had happened to his students and froze seeing Rachel throwing up fairly hard in a trash can with Victoria behind her, patting Rachel's neck and sides of her face with a rag and Max sitting beside Rachel, rubbing her back. Blinking rapidly, he recovered and cautiously approached the three girls. As a concerned teacher, Professor Myers suggested for Rachel to go home and get some rest. Max confirmed to her teacher that she had called their roommate not too long ago to come and get Rachel and it would be that roommate who would take her home and care for her. Impressed with how well the two were handling the situation, Professor Myers excused Victoria and Max from the class and kindly asked them to keeping waiting with Rachel until her ride arrived, then he turned around and returned to his classroom. Victoria watched Professor Myers leave but then craned her neck back around hearing Rachel moan. Rachel had just started to lower the trash can away from her face, thinking the worst was over. No sooner after she did this, Rachel swiftly lifted it, lurched forward and threw up again. Chloe strolled down the hallway a good while later, long after the dance class had ended and had a thick, Heavy Duty black trash bag tucked in her back pocket.

"Hey."

Chloe stopped near Max and both girls on the ground peered up at Chloe, grateful to see her. Not looking at them and keeping her eyes on Rachel, Chloe motioned at them both to step away from Rachel so she could pick Rachel up. They got to their feet and watched as Chloe stooped down and waited for Rachel to finish. When Chloe was sure Rachel wasn't going to randomly get sick again she reached out and took hold of the full trash can. Very carefully, Chloe guided it down to the tiled floor and scooted it off to the side.

"Okay Rachel. Let's get your hungover self is a bed shall we?"

With little effort, Chloe wrapped her arm around Rachel's waist, flung Rachel's arm over the back of her neck and rose up slowly so she wouldn't startle Rachel. Turning slightly and looking over her shoulder, Chloe smiled warmly at Max.

"Thanks for looking after her. I'll take it from here."

Chloe's eyes fell the trash can on the ground.

"Eh, one of you might wanna empty that trash can in the bathroom before some poor soul finds it and sees the damage Rachel left behind."

Nodding, Max and Victoria split up. Neither had class for another two hours, so Victoria decided to use the college's shower room to rinse down while Max took the trash can to a bathroom and cleaned it out. By nightfall when Max was safely home at the manor and lounging comfortably on her bed, she sent Chloe a text, wanting to know how Rachel was doing. Chloe replied back, informing Max that Rachel did get sick a few times on the drive to the studio but once she got her inside, helped her shower and get situated on the couch in nothing but her ball shorts and bra so she could be exposed to the cool air, turned off off the lights and shut the living room blinds, Rachel was doing much better.

* * *

 **80% [][][][][**

 **Chloe:** Honestly Max, I dunno what I'm gonna do with her. She's not taking this moving out thing out thing very well. But even with her tripping over you, something's... not right with her.

04/10 10:15 PM

 **Max:** I know. I've been keeping up with her, I totally see just how "well" she's taken it, but what am I supposed to do about it Chloe? I don't like how we left things any more than the both of you do but I have to do this for me. I don't want to have to keep being looked at as someone who can't do anything on her own or always needs protecting. Especially from you two. -sigh- Anyways, I know you Chloe and I know you like to put on a brave face but you can't hide from me. Just how are you doing? Like REALLY doing with all this and don't bother lying otherwise you lose all texting/calling Max privileges. :)

04/05 10:15 PM

* * *

Glancing up from the bright screen, Chloe rested her weary gaze on Rachel. So far Rachel was sleeping soundly and Chloe hoped she'd stay that way for a long while. Turning her head to her left, Chloe looked at the photo of the three of them posing jollily in a picture frame on the end table. Instantly, Chloe's chest swelled and her eyes clouded with moisture. Blinking rapidly, Chloe used the back of her hand to wipe the tears she felt running down her face.

* * *

 **79% [][][][][**

 **Chloe:** I've stayed busy so I don't have to think about it... like now, I'm thinking about it and it just hurts. I didn't even do anything but Victoria thinks I have. So help me Max. Have I failed you somehow too? I know I've been selfish but I'd like it think I've changed a little since our time in L.A. and obviously, I miss you. I want you here. Home with me...with us and I want things to go back to how they were before this thing between you and Rachel broke out. But dude, if I hurt you or was insensitive to your feelings since L.A. I'm so sorry. Forgive me Max I'm not... I'm not good at being you. I'm trying to keep it together but sometimes when it gets really bad, I go into your room and sleep in your bed... because I miss you. Rachel does too. Sometimes we sleep together in your bed.

04/05 10:16 PM

 **Max:** Chloe... you know I love you and Rachel deeply, don't you? This hurts me too. I want to be with the both of you, trust me. But to answer your question from earlier. No, you haven't said or done anything Chloe and I'm sorry you were put in the middle of this. If I could, I would give you the biggest hug right now for making you feel punished.

04/05 10:16 PM

 **Chloe:** Nah man. Don't apologize for doing something you set out to do. Besides, this is good for me too. I just don't like waiting. I get why you gotta do this and I support it. But even with understanding I'm gonna miss you. I'll keep working with Rachel. She needs to shape up if she's ever going to hope to impress you. Now that we've gotten this settled, I'm gonna hop off here and try to catch some Z's while the baby is asleep. In a few hours, she'll whine and wake me up. Then I'll have to rummage through the fridge and find something she can eat. Probably have to rub her back and make sure her tummy doesn't get upset but more than likely, it will so then I'll have clean her up again, put her in some fresh clothes and finally put her down for a nap so I can get some stuff done around the house. Ugh! I swear, why go get laid and pop a kid when you have Rachel Amber in your life?

04/05 10:17 PM

 **Max:** LOL! OMG Chloe, did you cereal-sly just call Rachel the "baby" in this relationship and then compare her routine to that of a child? Ouch.

04/05 10:17 PM

 **Chloe:** Hell-a-yes! You don't know what it's like living with Rachel until she's really sick and clingy! But um... don't tell Rachel I said that. She'll kill me for saying it, then you for laughing, then me again... anyways, see ya' around Max. Love you.

04/05 10:17 PM

 **Max:** Goodnight, Chloe. I love you too.

04/05 10:18 PM

* * *

It took Rachel a few days to get over her hung over spell. The first day Rachel forced herself to appear fine and rather then stay home and let her body rest, she chose to return to school but by the middle of the day, Chloe got another emergency call, this time from Davis and Chloe had to take off work again, drive over to the college, pick up Rachel and bring her home. On the dawn of the second day, Rachel was starting to feel better but she still couldn't stomach anything, not even water. When Chloe came home from work, she would see to Rachel's needs and care for her hourly and every time Rachel got sick, Chloe was there to help Rachel to the bathroom and clean her up if she didn't make it time. By the third day, the most Rachel could do for herself was shower, park herself on the couch or in her bed and drink only liquids. This routine repeated itself until Rachel was feeling like her old self again.

She easily made up her work for her classes but Chloe wasn't so lucky with her work schedule. Her boss understood that her roommate was dangerously ill but sadly, Chloe's shift was replaced with another worker who was available at the time so in order to make up those lost hours, she had to pull a few doubles, plus work on her days off. Chloe didn't mind but it did irk her that Rachel wanted to go clubbing on her next day off, prior to making up her hours on her current upcoming days off. So upset was she at Rachel for not learning her lesson, Chloe waited for Rachel to come through the door one day after her classes were over and jumped her the very second Rachel came through the door. Nit picking wasn't enough for Chloe though. She went a step further and blamed Rachel for making a bad impression at her new job. From there, an argument erupted between them and all sorts of other things came to the surface.

"You're being so selfish Rachel!"

Chloe quipped, slamming her fist down on the dining table and causing the flower base in the middle to tremble.

"First, you tick off Max and she moves out as a result. Instead of being a woman about all of this and trying to figure out what you need to do to mend this, you go out and drink. Even when I tried to get you to open up and see what was wrong that one time we both went out you avoided the topic and wound up getting sick. You were so sick I had to babysit you for one day? No. Two? I wish. No, it was four days and four nights! And not once did you say you were sorry for it! Sure, you thanked me there towards the end, but you didn't even bother to apologize to me!"

"Chloe, I don't see what the big deal is and why you're getting so mad. You need to get high and chill out."

Rachel pointed at herself, eyes narrowing both in annoyance and anger.

"And since when do I need to remind you about how much I appreciate you or say I'm sorry when I do something wrong? I thought you knew me better than this? What happened to just reading body language and that being enough? Those demands may work on Max but never on me. I'm being myself Chloe, nothing's changed about me so why the hell am I the bad guy because I didn't say something?"

Chloe rolled her eyes at Rachel and threw her arms up in frustration.

"That's part of the issue right there."

Rachel glanced left, right, then looked off, trying to decipher Chloe's reasoning.

"That I'm not Max? Gee, seeing as how we're two completely different people Chloe, I'd hope not."

Chloe looked up at the ceiling as if to beg for patience, something she was never good at keeping.

"No Rachel. I mean-"

Chloe used her hand to gesture between the two of them.

"The problem is, you're still the same, even after three months. You refuse to change. As for accusing me of not being able to take the body language into effect, trust me, I do. I get you just fine and there will always be things you can do without having to voice your reasons because... well... we just understand that about one another and it's nice to be able to do something to your best friend without the hassle of trying to explain yourself every single time but dude, come on! You've just been pushing it here as of late and I can't dig that anymore Rachel, it's just not working for me. Ever since living here in L.A., I'm starting to see things differently and the fact that you want to keep that front with me of all people isn't fair. We're supposed to be growing and changing, for better or for worse but you remain dormant and I never realized just how incredibly haunting it is until Max moved out. Just what is up with you anyway? Surely you've noticed how your drinking has gotten way out of hand these past few months?"

"No it hasn't."

Chloe scoffed and shook her head in cruel irony.

"Dude, you're a class A drunk if I ever saw one and that should say something coming from me because I'm a heavy stoner but even I know when to quit and come up to get some fresh air in my system. You stay sloshed all the time. Is this really about Max moving out? Or something more?"

Rachel sat back down on the chair, eyeing Chloe at the other end of the table. She felt the tension rise to a whole new level as they sat in silence and stared at each other and she knew Chloe was waiting for an answer.

"I'm just dealing with a lot, that's all. I have more classes this semester, my father is texting me and trying to drag me into the middle of his and mother's divorce and-"

Chloe shook her head in disagreement. Already having a strong hunch what Chloe was about to say next, Rachel rolled her head and occupied herself with the wall for the moment.

"That's not the real reason Rachel and even if it is, it doesn't explain your behavior pattern since Max has moved out. You're acting desperate, like you're about to, I dunno... like you're about to lose something precious and can't afford to rest until you get it back. Now see, this would make sense if that centered around Max because you did lose her. Granted, what you're doing isn't exactly the best way to get her back but again, I don't buy it. It's more personal than that but I can't understand why you're tripping this bad. You're kinda scaring me Rachel."

Rachel crossed her arms and stiffened. She tore her gaze away from the wall and settled it on Chloe, her blue eyes vivid and intense.

"Why are you pushing this?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow and sat up straighter in her chair.

"Because my second best friend has become a drunk, doesn't seem to care about her appearance or remotely my feelings as of late and it's really making me mad."

Rachel saw Chloe's mouth open slightly and she exhaled noisily because Chloe had more to say, even though she was already in the doghouse.

"Chloe, my sex life and my personal choices is none of your business. I don't have to sit here and take this from you or anyone else for that matter."

At that rude remark, Chloe sat in her chair, stunned. She was torn between laughing at the absurd answer or punching Rachel across the face.

"But you make it your duty to oversee and protect Max's non-sex life and pull her away from people when you want her attention? How is that justified? Why are you being so clingy? No wait, clingy isn't the word here. Obsessed is more like it."

Rachel's eyes narrowed. That comment did not go over well with her.

"Don't confuse me with Victoria Chase. And you're one to talk Chloe. You who wouldn't shut up about her when we started hanging out. It was always about Max this and Max that. Sometimes I'd get us high just to get you to shut up about her!"

"I may have talked your ear off, but I did it in strides! It wasn't always about Max and I spent five years of my life with you, day in and day out. We went everywhere together and you never seemed to mind me talking about her, you never complained so I just assumed when the urge hit me, you'd listen. Sorry if I smothered you. I didn't have a lot of friends outside of Max back then and when she moved, the one person who really got me, wasn't there anymore, I found myself struggling because I was used to having her around and calling on her anytime I desired. Then dad died and you came into my life. I admit, when I approached you, it was out of desperation to have someone close to me again and I was still wasn't over what Max had done and it affected our relationship... my bad. I was wanting her in my life when really, I just needed to let go and focus all my energy into you."

"Enter the victim act. You know Chloe, excuses only go so far with me. Just say it. You saw aspects of Max in me and due to that, that was why you stuck around. You never really were interested in meeting me, just the parts of me that reminded you of Max."

Chloe stood up, shaking her head in disbelief. She felt her bitter resentment bubble to the forefront of her chest at the impassive expression on Rachel's face.

"Are you kidding me? Did you really just say that? Wow Rachel, you're a real piece of work, you know that?"

Chloe clenched her fists and her eyebrows knitted, angry and irritated.

"Of course you reminded me of Max in some ways but when I was hanging out with you, that was a choice. Not obligation. A choice, okay? When I got lit with you and drank myself into a stupor, I made a memory that had us in it, not Max. The fact that you're accusing me of being with you only because I wanted Max, all the time is completely unfair! If I wanted Max and only Max in my life, why did we go look for you? Why did I beg her to help me find where Mark was keeping you? If I just wanted Max and was using you for that purpose, the second she came back to Blackwell and I learned about it, I would of abandoned you on the spot. But I didn't. I put up search posters, spent nights researching the police databases of missing cases, trying to see if there was a link that might connect the dots. And FYI Rachel, it's not always about Max and it certainly always about you..."

Trailing off, Chloe glanced down at the floor then snapped her eyes back to Rachel's face.

"Or me for that matter. It's about what we have as friends and what we're supposed to be to each other. Wow, nice to know this is how you've felt about me. Love you too."

"It doesn't come across that way to-"

"Oh don't you even try going there with me!"

Chloe snapped, pointing a finger in Rachel's direction. Chloe raised an eyebrow, a little amused at shocked expression on Rachel's face.

"I have the floor right now."

Chloe waited an extra second, glad to see she had Rachel's full attention.

"Since Max has been gone, have you noticed just how little time we spend together? It wasn't always like this. We were hanging out all the time in the alternate reality, the three of us were together and we were happy. Now we're living our dreams in L.A. and should be just as pleased with the outcome but why does it seem like Max and I are the only ones who are doing that? Where are you Rachel and why aren't you here with us?"

Rachel nodded slowly, finally understanding an clue of what Chloe was trying to tell her. For a while, they remained silent as memories of the past fell into their heads. Chloe rolled her eyes at the memories she was seeing in her mind, thankful she was too angry to feel the joyful surges she usually did whenever such things visited her. Any kind of flashback with the three of them together, laughing and having fun used to make Chloe feel good. Now it just made her sick and it was all because of Rachel. Her eyes narrowed and Chloe found she was angry at Rachel for making her feel wretched, angry at herself for letting it go on so long and angry in general for not being strong enough to stop it sooner. Maybe if she had been paying closer attention to the signs, Chloe could of caught on and maybe she and Rachel wouldn't be arguing right now.

"Whatever is going on. Whatever triggered this deadness, this monster to come alive inside of you, it needs to stop. We need to try to figure out a way to get you to stop because you're driving me and Max absolutely crazy!"

Chloe barked, her tone slicing through the air like a cracked whip.

"Stop acting like I'm not good enough to help you and know your secrets! Stop acting one way with Max but a completely different way with me. And yeah I've noticed this transition of yours but I never said anything. Figured you had a reason but now, I don't even think you know what's up and it's pissing you off like crazy."

Rachel flinched at the words and she jolted up from her chair. She left the kitchen and began stalking around the living room, keeping her distance from Chloe. She didn't understand why Chloe was so furious with her and wanted to discuss these things. Her mind was whirling and as a result, her thoughts flew out of her mouth, rushed and callous.

"We are two full grown adults Chloe and this is not Arcadia Bay!"

Rachel lashed back, her tone unkind and mean.

"This entire conversation is just childish and unbeneficial to our health. All we're doing is making each other upset! Why don't you stop acting like my father and treating me like I'm incompetent and the whole reason all of this chaos is happening is because of me! I've said it before and I'm going to say it again, you're not a victim so find another record to play!"

Chloe snarled at the words, stormed out of the kitchen and over to the Rachel. Rachel stopped and held her ground and then she found herself abruptly shoved against the wall as Chloe used her towering frame to trap her against it. Her eyes slotted when Chloe lowered her face. Rachel breathed through her nostrils, her chest rising rapidly and waited for whatever Chloe was going to give her. A smack or something else, she wasn't sure and Chloe's commanding presence was a bit dizzying and made her feel slightly disoriented.

"You're right, I'm _not_ a victim."

Chloe growled, low and cautioning.

"And neither are _you_. Not anymore more. Which is why we need to handle your delicate situation carefully because you clearly can't do it alone. Funny how you can whore around, paint the town red and keep a flawless academic record but can't wake up and face your own issues in the morning."

Chloe paused when Rachel balked from hearing her speak to abrasively and found that she liked seeing Rachel at her mercy. It was strangely satisfying and made Chloe feel good about expressing an alpha role for once.

"You don't get to prance around and demand what we can or will not talk about it."

Chloe placed a hand against the wall, effectively blocking any attempts for Rachel to duck out.

"I'm not answering to you right now because this isn't about me getting my priorities straight. It's you. And together, we're going to fix this Rachel whether you like it or not."

Rachel clenched her fist and remained passive against the wall, intensely disliking the dominating attitude that Chloe was thrusting on her. She ignored the distaste she felt and narrowed her eyes at Chloe once more.

"You may not answer to me but do not fool yourself into thinking that I bend to your will. This demonstration you're putting on, is nothing but a reflection of what you see before you."

Rachel whispered, deciding to return to the past to put Chloe in her place and be the stepping stones to ending their dispute.

"If I recall correctly, it was you, who wanted to learn the game and live life on the edge after meeting me. It was you, who said to me back then, "Teach me to be more like you." and that's exactly what I did. And now that I'm not holding back and acting more like the real me, you're having issues and wanting me to spill my heart out to you. Okay Price, I'll spill my heart out to you when you stop acting like me and revert back to the little girl you were before daddy died and Max moved away and show me yours! Because everything you claim to be now, straight up to your style and how you act, is all but an illusion, a fake persona I taught you to project to hide the real you. I wonder, is that little girl I met still even in there or is she dead and buried?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow as she coolly regarded the widening blue eyes that were right in her face.

"You asked what's wrong with me, you wondered if what's going on is more than just Max leaving and you want to know how to remedy my problem. Guess what? You. Can't. Help. Me. No one can. And if you think you can't just shove me up against a wall and intimidate me into doing what you feel is the answer-"

Rachel stepped away from the wall and into Chloe's rigid body, not leaving any space between them. She felt Chloe inhale sharply, deep in her chest, at the full body contact.

"Then you've been too engrossed with Max that you've forgotten when it comes to me, it's never simple and it's never easy. See, this is why we get high, drunk and party so we don't have to have these encounters and get all... personal. Oh wait, we already did that and now we're soulmates. News flash, even though you're my soulmate and learned a few secrets about me, don't think I've tried to distract you and Max from moving away from that sensitive topic. When we romance, I do it because it's enjoyable and relaxing but there is another motive and it is this: I don't want you or Max to know the choas going on inside of my head. I'd much rather lose myself in our partying and soulmate moments before having to confess to either of you what is tearing me apart on the inside."

Chloe immediately backed away from Rachel and walked towards Max's art station, her face stony and grim.

"What in the world?"

She muttered, placing her hands against the steel surface of the crafting table and bowed her head, taking long, calming breaths, torn between her fury and the mind games Rachel had once again, used on her and defeated her with. Rachel studied Chloe closely. She'd never seen Chloe this miffed before and trying to be mature about it and waited until she felt they were both composed enough to continue the conversation.

"I don't understand Rachel. Why is it so bad to open up and let us in? When you, me and Max entered into this trio and became soulmates-"

Chloe began, finally her voice and breaking the long, heavy silence that had filled the house.

"We agreed to grow, be there for each other and all that mushy garbage. I can safely say I've done more growing up than you and that's really pathetic when you think about it. I'll let go you acting differently with Max, I'll let the sex go, I'll let everything go but this. Just tell me what's wrong. If you don't how will I know what you're thinking, what you're feeling? You can't lash out at me when I don't understand what's going on and expect me to know everything when you won't let me. You could have told me you've been hurting you like this."

Rachel scoffed.

"Look, I tried that before with some people before moving to Arcadia Bay. It didn't go over well. Then I realized, it doesn't have to matter if I chose to not talk about it. Then I met you and our ballad began. And that's how I wanted it to be and I have no regrets about it."

Chloe paced around the room and around the table, wanting to keep her distance from Rachel every time she experienced waves of confusing and conflicting emotions. How did it wind up like this? They were supposed to be talking about a solution to Rachel's problem and at the most, Chloe would have liked Rachel to apologize for causing her to miss work. Now everything was spiraling out of control and Chloe wasn't sure if she wanted to keep at it because it was oddly effective and helping her understand Rachel's hidden side or if she should just drop the various subjects and let her alone for a while.

"I don't buy that either. If you have no regrets, why chose to be different around Max and not let those sides show with me? And no, I'm not jealous like I know your mind is accusing me of. I'm hurt and disappointed you are behaving like this. That aside, I still can't get over how you're on this rampage with these random guys you hook up every time we go out. That last little stunt you pulled, almost cost me my job. My boss still hasn't scheduled me my usual hours, probably because he thinks I need to be here helping you or I'm just using you as an excuse to skip work... and after everything I did for you, driving you home from the nightclub, leaving work and my co-worker in bind, coming to pick you up at the college, took care of you for how many days, waiting on your hand and foot and did you even apologize to me or pet me on the head for helping you? No Rachel, you didn't. I'd be okay if your aura was welcoming and you smiled at me once in a while but you don't even do that anymore. It's the attitude behind everything you're doing and it's really annoying. Victoria's right. We need to stop this. You need to stop this. It's killing Max, it's killing me but more importantly, it's killing you but unlike Max and myself you don't seem to care. It's like... you want to just quit, give up the ghost and die. Literally."

Rachel eased off the wall, angrily treading on the other side of table, far away from Chloe.

"Ugh! Chloe can you just drop it already?!"

She quipped, almost on the verge of losing it.

"Why are you complicating things between us now?"

Rachel took a quick second and decided she and Chloe looked absurd arguing across Max's crafting table. It was exhausting and getting them nowhere.

"Just say you're sorry and pretend to care! For five seconds! Can you just-"

Chloe threw her hands into the air, her voice thick with frustration.

"You know what? Never mind! There you again, not even trying. See, this is what I was getting at earlier."

Chloe countered.

"The whole not changing or putting in some effort bit. Victoria is a _saint_ compared to you."

Rachel wanted to throw a chair through the window, maybe three, maybe four. She'd settle for throwing anything at this point. Chloe was doing that maddening thing again and expecting her to contribute something useful to the conversation. Rachel took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"I'm sorry for what happened at the bar."

Rachel politely began, deciding that she would address one issue at a time since Chloe's sensitivity begged her to be reasonable and woman up.

"I know we were going out to talk. That's what you wanted to do and I nicely overlooked it because I don't do well with heart-to-heart conversations. I didn't go looking to bed the men, that just kind of happened and has been the outlet of my frustrations. Both emotionally and physically. As for the boss not calling you back in, sorry he's a jerk for not seeing your big heart and how good of a worker you are in general, okay? My bad for keeping you away from work, his bad for not calling you back."

Tossing her hair over a shoulder, Rachel placed a hand on her hip.

"And I'm sorry for starting this stupid war with Max. But what's done is done and Max and I have to sort that out. Before this is over, we'll make up and she'll move back in... eventually."

Rachel chose to firmly ignore the nagging reminder that she was indeed the devil and Victoria was being more of the angel in Max's life, but she wasn't about to even tackle that issue. They had enough on the table as it was.

"I appreciate this. Took you long enough to come around."

Chloe clipped and just like that, she stopped wearing a hole in the shag carpet and stood still for a moment, rubbing wearily at her temples. Rachel sat down in the chair, her heart breaking at the miserable and wounded look in the bright, blue eyes staring back at her.

"What do you need me to do, Chloe? Tell me and I'll try to... work... on it."

Rachel's quiet voice filled the room and Chloe felt her own heart clench at the sincerity. Closing her eyes and crossing her arms, Chloe clamped the wavering in her voice, not wanting Rachel to hear how close she was to crying.

"Can we start acting like best friends again? You treat me like I'm one of your clients and unless I have an appointment with you, I don't get to see you. I've kinda felt this way for a while now just didn't wanna say anything... I was afraid you'd take it wrong."

"Acting like best friends, eh?"

Chloe studied the Rachel after the words left her mouth, searching for any hint of something that would indicate what the other teen was feeling. She endured the stretch of silence and patiently waited for Rachel to compose her thoughts. Rachel remained silent, not seeing Chloe anymore, but hearing the words echo over and over again in her head.

 _Wow have I been so stuck on my own issues that it came across like I didn't want her as my friend?_

She wanted to argue with Chloe and remind her that they were already established best friends, plus the perks of being soulmates. But Chloe felt otherwise. Evidently, Chloe perceived Rachel's actions as wanting to drop the friendship but in actual reality, that wasn't what Rachel wanted at all. She wanted to shout, yell and pull her hair out. All this critical thinking and arguing had put her on edge but to hear Chloe request something so simple and basic, put Rachel to shame. Annoyed at herself, Rachel sighed.

 _Wait. I get it. Chloe wants to start acting like we're real friends again, not fake ones. Ahh... fine. Whatever, I can do that. I do it for Max, Davis and few other people. Chloe should be the last person to have to say that._

Rachel assessed the girl in front of her, taking in the drained posture, the hurt look on Chloe's tired face and instantly felt her heart thud against her chest, rock-solid and heavy.

"Okay Chloe. Let's act like we know what we're doing and I'll try to keep our friend meter in check from now on."

Rachel finally mused, her tone soft and yielding. Chloe tilted her head, feeling a heavy weight lift from her shoulders, only to settle against her chest. She swallowed through the pang and forced a wry grin.

"Okay. It's settled then. Now, why don't we go out and celebrate? I'm not trying to feed your over killed habit of binge drinking but after all of this talking... I think I speak for both of us on this one. I'm hella exhausted and I could use a strong drink about now."

Rachel nodded once, distractedly crossing her arms and studied the clock on the far wall. Noting the time, she shifted her shoulders and abruptly raised her head when she heard the house phone ring. Before she could go over to see who it was, Chloe walked around the table, grabbed her by the elbow and gently forced her towards the front door.

"No. Not happening. I don't care who it is or what they want, we need to do this. Like now."

Nodding again, Rachel allowed Chloe to usher out of the studio and to her blue Dart. Chloe had her jacket on and her wallet in her pocket. She didn't bother to go back inside and make sure she looked presentable and she could care less if Rachel wanted to do the same thing. They were done and now they were going to go find a cheap place to eat at and a fancy bar to crash in until one of them formed the desired to return home and call it a day.

* * *

Five tipsy hours later, Chloe and Rachel stumbled out of a club so they could get some fresh air. While walking down the sidewalk, they saw Victoria and Max through a window in a restaurant, enjoying themselves. It pained them greatly and straight away, they started to break on the inside because of how much they wanted her. Several minutes passed but Chloe and Rachel scarcely noticed and they just continued stood there, each gazing at the scene taking place inside with sad, wounded expressions on their faces. At one point during the conversation Victoria was having with Max, they watched Victoria make a quick show of glancing around the room to make sure no one was looking in their general direction. What came next was unexpected and Chloe and Rachel watched with wide eyes and jaws dropped as Victoria swiftly leaned across the table and pecked Max on her cheek. This kiss, that visibly made Max happy and it caused the two delinquents to wince from jealously. To untrained eyes, it would look like Victoria was trying to seduce Max on their outing but to experienced eyes like Chloe and Rachel, they knew exactly what type of "kiss" Victoria just gave to Max and it upset them off Victoria wasn't being rejected by Max. This meant, Max was open to that level of affection with Victoria Chase and somehow, it was insulting as much as it was impressive.

"I regret so many things."

Rachel stated, seemingly out of nowhere. Turning to Chloe, she pointed at the window across the street.

"You saw that too right?"

Chloe sighed, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly.

"I wish I hadn't. Dude, just look at her."

Taking Chloe's advice, Rachel glanced back at the window and noted how Max's had reddened a little from being kissed and then saw Max slap Victoria playfully on the shoulder. Although they couldn't hear what was being said, it was obvious Max was scolding her for kissing her but then she picked up her glass at the same time Victoria did and they toasted, grinning at each other.

"She looks so happy and relaxed... maybe we really are the worst. In just three months, this is the result of her living with Victoria Rachel. I'm insulted and at the same time, I think we've been beat and need to accept that we've failed Max. Miserably. I mean sure, she told me in a text I haven't done anything wrong but... I dunno after seeing how she is with Victoria... maybe she was sparing my feelings?"

Rachel swayed into Chloe, who stumbled and regained her footing but staggered again just slightly as Rachel wrapped her arms around Chloe's waist for support.

"Should we go in?"

Chloe scoffed.

"Like this? Drunk and give Victoria more reason to bash us? You're hella insane to think I'm gonna be up for that. Besides, do we want Max to see us like this? I mean, for once you're drunk because I wanted to have a good time and forget everything for a little while."

From the corner of her eye, Victoria spotted the girls, saw the two of them contemplating coming in or not but prayed that they didn't so she and Max could continue their outing. Max was completely oblivious to what had grasped Victoria's attention and what was happening outside. She wanted to scold Victoria for her earlier stunt. Although Max was well accustomed to living with Victoria and receiving affection sometimes, it didn't mean she was totally open to having Victoria kiss her in public. Granted, that was the first time Victoria had done it so it wasn't a big deal. For now, Max ignored it and went back to eating, deciding she'd talk to Victoria about it if she tried to do it again.

"Come on Rachel."

Chloe started to drag Rachel back from which they came, wanting to leave Max to her dinner in peace.

"Let's go."

Rachel frowned, jerked free of Chloe's grip and just like that, she ambled into the restaurant. Chloe whipped her head around and her jaw fell down in utter disbelief.

"Rachel!"

She cried frantically.

"Rachel don't do it! This isn't the right time for this!"

Rachel wasn't listening anymore and Chloe had no choice but to go after her. Cursing softly, Chloe stumbled over herself trying to get to Rachel. Overlooking Chloe slumping in behind her, Rachel pushed the door in and boldly entered the restaurant and almost immediately was formally greeted by a waiter in a tux but shook her head at the offered menu and briefly muttered to him she wasn't going to need a table. Rachel tried to pronounce her syllables correctly so he could understand her but when that didn't go over well, she wound up pointing at the table where Max and Victoria were sitting. Following her finger, the waiter saw, put two and two together, nodded and friskily sauntered off, returning to his post. With the man gone, Rachel slowly turned towards Max and cautiously made her way over to the table. Chloe stopped by the entrance door in the lobby. Huffing slightly, she sat down, needing to catch her breath. That and she was afraid if she approached Max too, it would look like a duo attack and that's the last thing Chloe wanted Max to think, so she remained put and waited for Rachel to do what she was going to do in silence on the leather couch, praying she didn't do something stupid that would make matters worse.

"Max."

Max choked a bit on some pasta seeing Rachel amble over and kept coughing until she gained her steady breathing pattern again. Now Rachel was fairly close to her chair and Max looked up, knowing who called her by name but not wanting to believe it so as quickly as she raised her head, she dropped it and stared at her food, trying to ignore Rachel. Victoria cursed and stood up in front of Max, stopping Rachel from reaching down to touch Max on the shoulder.

"Rachel, stop. You're drunk. Do us all a favor and turn around. Max doesn't want to see you and you shouldn't want her to see you in this state. Now please leave before things get messy."

Victoria was fighting back her anger towards Rachel for ruining her down time with Max and decided to be the civil one, even though that was the last thing on her mind. Rachel's sleepy eyes narrowed, almost making her appear as if she had shut them completely. Rachel had just about had enough of taking Max's silent treatment and she refused to leave the building until they spoke. Staring Victoria down, Rachel replied in a low, dangerous voice,

"Am I not allowed to return something that belongs to her?"

Victoria assessed Rachel suspiciously, unconvinced returning a mere object was all she wanted to do.

"Well if it's okay with Max..."

Victoria trailed off and glanced at the top of Max's head along with Rachel. Max -doesn't say anything, but she did nod slightly enough for them to register it.

"Even if Max hadn't been okay with it, I have no use for them anymore... I'd rather return them to her then keep them and be reminded of what I now label, "Bitter Memories"."

In font of both girls and Chloe who was watching from the lobby, Rachel pulled back on her sleeve, exposing her arm with the bracelets. With little effort, she took them off. Max's eyes widened seeing her do this. Pretending like Max's shocked face didn't matter, Rachel lightly set the accessories beside Max's plate with a soft sigh then she carefully turned around, hating how everything spun out of control and made her almost loose her balance. Shaking it off, Rachel glanced over her shoulder and stared at the bracelets then raised her eyes and noted how the other two watched Rachel, unsure of what she'd do next. Rachel didn't do anything. She didn't even bother to say goodbye or utter a single word to Max. Rachel simply walked away, passed Chloe in the lobby and once outside, she stopped pretending she could stand upright and sloppily tipped to the right of her to lean against the brick wall for support. Sighing softly, Chloe got up off the couch and she left the lobby. She joined Rachel by the wall, took her into her arms and then helped her walk down the side walk towards her Dart.

Max sat very still for a long time, long after Rachel left, struggling to take all of it in. She bit her lower lip hard, hoping it would force the tears back but they ran freely down her cheeks anyway. Through blurry eyes, Max glanced at the bracelets Rachel had returned with unexpected bitterness. Max knew she might of been over reacting, but she couldn't help but feel sick to her stomach and hate the sight of them and had to get away from them, even though it was silly of her to stop enjoying her time out with Victoria over inanimate objects, Max just couldn't handle it. Releasing a frustrated sigh, Max stood up from the table, startling Victoria. Before Victoria could say a word, Max took off running towards the exit, found Victoria's car and jumped in with the tears still trailing down her face. The night ruined, Victoria raised her arm and called for their waiter to bring the bill over to the table so she could pay it. Afterwards, she grabbed the bracelets, shoved them into her pockets then finally went after Max.

"Blast it all Amber! Why can't you get it through you thick skull that when you go off and do these things it kills Max on the inside? Honestly!"

Victoria huffed loudly.

"It's like we're living a live episode of Young & The Reckless!"

When Victoria reached her car, she got in and softly pulled the door shut before twisting around and leaning over to gather Max into her arms. She held onto Max tighter, watching as Max broke down even harder in her arms the moment she came in contact with her cashmere sweater. Lifting her head off Victoria's shoulder, Max looked into the blondes eyes for comfort she so desperately needed and choked out a soft sentence.

"W-Why? Why does Rachel keep hurting me like this? Vi don't hate me. I don't think I could continue being hated by everyone I love!"

Max started to shake uncontrollably and Victoria's heart broke at the sight of Max slowly slipping into another anxiety attack. Victoria knew she couldn't stop it and had to let it run its course. Instantly Victoria started to feel tears swell in her eyes and she tried hard to hold them back, wanting to be strong for Max. Dropping her arms from around Max, Victoria carefully and neatly buckled Max in and caught her chin right as Max started to slip into her usual unconscious state right before her panic attack caused her to jerk around and cry out from unwanted sensations.

"You couldn't make me hate you even if you tried hipster. Now just try to rest... I'll get you home and it'll be all better. Okay?"

Easing forward, Victoria gave Max a soothing kiss on her forehead then sadly, had to let her chin go so Max's body could do what it needed to do until the terror passed. By that time, Max would be back at the house and safely tucked in bed. Pressing her lips firmly together, Victoria started up the car and sped off, keeping within the reasonable speed limit but overall, rushed Max home so she could have her anxiety attack in peace. Victoria was sure the anxiety was going to happen irregardless of Max seeing Rachel and Chloe. It had been building for a few days now. Since living with Max, Victoria and the other girls learned the signs of such things the moment Max admitted she had them without warning and what she would need if she had an episode. Max didn't really want to tell them that but there was no way around it. She was going to live in the house and they were going to have to know what to do and how to react if and when the panic attacks happened.

"Don't worry Max."

Victoria stole a glance over at the struggling teen then quickly snapped her eyes back to the road.

"It'll be okay."

With one hand on the steering wheel, Victoria lowered her other hand, let it rest on Max's thigh and rubbed it a little, providing some form of comfort for Max. Even though Victoria knew Max was unable to respond to it at the moment but Victoria doesn't stop doing it. She continued to caress Max's thigh, arm and when she could afford it, her face until they reached the manor.

* * *

Max was sick all through night, into the weekend and even when she had recovered from the worst of the attacks she was physically unable to attend her classes come Monday morning. Victoria and the other girls who had classes scheduled went in and left Max in the caring hands of Courtney and the remaining girls who were off that day. When 12:00 PM loomed around the corner, the small group of friends texted each other, all agreeing to eat together at their usual table and talked softly with each other about their classes or their personal issues that were starting to frustrate them. Just then, Rachel came through the cafeteria's doors, eyes scanning the sea of faces until she found the people she was looking for. She sauntered over to the table and asked her why Max wasn't at school. Victoria was in foul mood due to lack of sleep and she was already irked at Rachel for what she had done to Max last Friday night. Knowing she couldn't get rid of Rachel by being brief, she went into a more detailed answer, explaining how Max had been experiencing bad panic attack so strong it was the legit reason she was home and down in the bed.

"She's very dizzy, tends to vomit every couple of hours without warning, is extremely fatigued. Can't seem to keep her energy up at all."

Dana was sitting across from Victoria and sees how Victoria was struggling to stay awake and keep a flowing conversation with Rachel. Looking down, Dana also noted that Victoria hadn't touched her food. Frowning, she glanced up at Victoria and cleared her throat, interpreting her talk with Rachel on purpose.

"Victoria... you're fixing to doze off again."

Raising her hand, Dana blinked and tiredly rubbed at her own burning eyes, wishing she could go home and crawl into her bed and sleep for a few more hours. She, Kate, Brooke, Taylor and Victoria had been the main team of girls taking care of Max for the past three days and none of them had been able to sleep very well. How could they? Max's episodes were strangely longer than normal and Victoria made it mandatory that whoever took watch, needed to keep a firm eye on her activity. The girls who agreed to help Victoria had no problem offering their services but like any serious medical condition, it took effort and lots of energy on their parts to keep up with the changes happening to Max and keep up with their own studies and after school activities.

"Maybe you should go home for the rest of the day? I'll get your homework if you like?"

Dana's offer was appreciated but unnecessary. Smiling at her roommate, Victoria politely declined, looked back around at Rachel, lost her smile and shot Rachel a dirty look. Rachel just stood there, unimpressed with Victoria's attempt to intimidate her away from the table or their previous topic of conversation. Looking down at her own plate of food, Kate stabbed at the vegetables with her fork.

"I know I'd love to go home, but I got a huge test next period. Man, Max's attacks are getting intense. Last night was her worst one yet. Don't you all think?"

"I do. Poor thing."

Victoria hadn't even realized she was indeed, starting to drift off startled but the intrusion of Kate's sudden words almost sounding jumbled coming out of Dana and Kate's mouth, she suddenly sat up straighter and blinked hard to regain composer.

"I wish there was something more we could be doing for her instead of sitting in this lame school while Max is at home suffering."

Taylor mumbled, playing with her food distractedly.

Even though Rachel was standing a good ways off to the side near Victoria and no where around them, the thick scent of alcoholic fumes rose off Rachel like a heatwave and was slightly overwhelming to the sensitive noses of those sitting at the table. The girls tried to be polite about it but some of them wound up cringing when they got a strong whiff of it. No one had to ask Rachel what she might of been doing for the past three days or what mischief she might of gotten herself into since they last saw her.

"So if I'm hearing you all correctly, Max has been having severe panic attacks, right? Worse than usual?"

Victoria pulled herself away from her thoughts at the sound of Max's name being said, realized who said it, the glared hatefully at Rachel again before completely ignoring her no matter how hard that task was due to the overwhelming smell of alcohol emanating off Rachel and began to occupy herself with her smartphone. Rachel's eyes narrowed and she slammed her fist down on the table, making a loud, shocking noise that caused many students at the table to flinch, not just the immediate ones she was dealing with.

"Victoria! I want to see Max! I need to apologize to her and explain my reason for giving back the bracelets. You can't keep ignoring me, I won't let you. And since she has been having these panic attacks, I want to go over and check on her in general."

Releasing a frustrated cry, Victoria bolted up from the table, turned to Rachel and stared her down with fire in her eyes.

"Ugh! Why do you care?! You didn't seem to care when you pushed her emotionally over the edge last Friday night! You and Chloe both!"

The students in the background gradually gathered their belongings, got up and left the cafeteria, fearing a fight was about to break out between the two elites.

"Chloe didn't even do anything, don't drag her into this. In case you failed to notice, she stayed in the lobby!"

Rachel stepped closer to where Victoria was sitting, not caring if it upset her or not. She wanted Max and one way or another, she was going to gain access to Victoria's home with or without Victoria's consent.

"And two, I care because she's _my soulmate!_ Look, I realize Max and I are going through a hard time right now, but just because she's staying with you, does not mean our friendship is over!"

Dana glanced around, just now noticing that the other students were trying to quietly sneak out with worried expressions on their faces.

"I don't like where this is going."

Kate nodded slowly in agreement.

"I feel you. Just stay out of their way."

Feeling her rising anger towards Rachel, Victoria stood up, officially enraged.

"If you were any kind of soulmate you wouldn't have treated her like you did or have in the past. Max doesn't need to stay with you and take that kind of treatment. Not when she has me."

Victoria paused, realizing her error and proceeded to correct herself.

"I mean us."

Victoria emphasized her remark but pointed back between her, Dana, Taylor and Kate. Dana shifted around and felt really awkward getting dragged into the cross fire and averted her eyes away from Rachel when Rachel dared to look her and the others over.

"And for your information, I gave the bracelets back to simply give them back. It hurt to too much to look down at them and be reminded of her so I did what any tormented soul in my situation would do. I returned to them to its originally owner. For crying out loud, you make it sound like I'm a monster without feelings. I'm anything but that."

Rachel raised a hand and grabbed Victoria by the scruff of her collar, pulling her towards her not in warmth, not in invitation but with the utmost authority.

"Do not accuse me of such lies when I have the history to support it."

Kate scooted closer to Dana and looped her arm through hers, knowing what was about to come. Taylor did the same but tried to make it subtle by pretending to be engaged with her iPhone and didn't bother linking her arm with Dana's. She wasn't that desperate for Dana's maternal protection. If Rachel did something crazy like flip their table then and only then, would she considering clinging onto Dana for moral support. Regaining some of her pride, Victoria smirked, breaking Rachel's hold while never losing eye contact.

"That's all it is now to you isn't? History. Nothing more and nothing less. The fact that you gave back the bracelets is as good as renouncing your so called soulmatehood. You straight out turned your back on her. You don't care as long as you have your "history" with her. It'll always work itself out, right?"

Victoria asked sarcastically, being careful not to miss how Rachel caught her breath. Wincing visibly, Dana looked down and exchanged a nervous glance with Taylor first then with Kate.

"Ohh, this is really getting ugly. Should we stop them?"

Lifting her gaze, Kate let go of Dana's arm and politely gestured at the two alphas queens.

"Guys calm down. Let's not do this here, okay?"

Rachel physically started to shake a little from the anger consuming her.

"That's not what it symbolized and if Max thinks that then it's all the more reason for me to go over to your house and clarify. I didn't just give them back because they were a sore reminder for me. I gave them back, to remind her of what we had... it was also me silently saying I missed her. Unlike you, I don't have many options available to me anymore Victoria. And FYI?"

Rachel thrust her arm off to the side, roughly releasing Victoria from her hold.

"I never left. Max did! She made that choice all on her own and to this day, will not return texts or calls. Your alls influence I'm sure."

Kate snapped her head in Rachel's direction and for a split second, she lost her Christian attitude and took on more aggressive stance and it showed when she spoke back to Rachel.

"Whoa, what?! Rachel what is wrong with you? I mean seriously! Are you hearing yourself right now? You're not even being consistent. So, it's always someone else's fault and that's okay for you to point out as long as it's not yours, is that it?"

Leaning forward, Kate set her elbow onto the surface of the table, snapped her finger then pointed it firmly at Rachel's face.

"Let's get some facts straight. I never told Max to ignore you or Chloe for that matter. If anything, I've only encouraged her to talk about what's bothering her, in hope that by getting her to open up, she'll figure out a solution so she can go back home. Because it's obvious to us that she does want to go home but something keeps preventing her from doing it."

Taking offense to Rachel's accusation, Dana jumped into the conversation, glowering at Rachel directly.

"Neither have I. I merely told her to talk to you guys when she's ready. At the most, to just chill out and not rush anything."

Victoria rolled her eyes at Rachel's lack of awareness and blamed her over consummation of booze.

"You don't get it do you? Max is doing this because you're not leaving her any other options and because you're ignoring how she feels. You know better than most how Max will always take the grunt of the assault and put up a tough front."

Victoria leaned in close and lowered her voice so the others didn't hear them.

"But we both really know she's had to shoulder so much more than kids our age has to and this stupid fight you three are having isn't helping."

Victoria took deep breath, trying to keep calm.

"Rachel, listen to me closely. No one in my house told Max to ignore you, she just can't handle the stress right now. She's so close to breaking but she wants to keep strong for everyone, but mainly she wants to prove to herself she can be strong."

Rachel blinked and looked off, conflicted all of a sudden.

"Why does she... need to prove anything? Max, Chloe and I are supposed to be a trio. We're supposed to be a team and support each other but I..."

Rachel struggled to find the right words to say in her defense.

"She doesn't have to put up a front. We want her to come to us when she's weak, strong, tired, sick, it doesn't matter. Max should be herself."

Kate shook head in disagreement over hearing the comment.

"That's just it. I don't think she feels like she can."

Rachel frowned and glanced over at Kate, narrowing her eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Kate lost her earlier bravado and returned to her shy, withdrawn self and cowered at the edge she heard in Rachel's voice.

"You love her, she loves you. That goes without saying, but do you respect her?"

Wanting to help her friend out, Dana cleared her throat and gestured at Victoria, Kate, Taylor then finally at herself.

"Because we do. And I speak for everyone here and those at the house when I say that."

Victoria cut in, picking up where she left off.

"We all respect her and love her unconditionally and she knows it. But does she know that you and Chloe do? Furthermore, I make it my personal mission to always tell Max how much she means to me. At this point, I'm starting to see Max as my soulmate and-"

Rachel's strained laughter cut Victoria off.

"You?"

Rachel laughed again, finding what Victoria just said absolutely absurd.

"You are declaring Max as your soulmate? Do you know what it means and the responsibility of being that deeply connected to someone? Is Max even aware that you're going around and-"

Rachel made quotations with her fingers.

"Loosely saying this? Have you even asked Max about it?"

Just as Victoria was preparing to answer, Dana got a text from Courtney. What she read made her eyes widen in alarm.

"Um guys...?"

Keeping her gaze locked with Victoria, Rachel held up her hand and thrust the palm outward in Dana's general direction.

"Not now Dana. You know it's funny how you were the one who went on about ownership as opposed to friendships... the way you're talking now, it sounds like you want to own her. How is that going go over in the future for you? Or am I confusing that controlling attitude with your heart felt feelings to protect her?"

"What? I said I considered Max a soulmate, I never said anything about talking to her about it. In fact, I don't even plan on bringing it up to her, okay? I just think that what we have is similar to what you and Chloe share with her. And where did I come off like I wanted to own her? Last time I checked Google, soulmates are really close emotional friends, suited to another as friend _or_ a sexual romantic partner you idiotic drunk of a whore! So yes, I think I understand the responsibility of being that just fine. It's you I'm worried about. You've supposedly been at it longer and now look at you!"

Victoria grabbed at her forehead and just shook her head in astonishment at Rachel's poor performance. Granted, she could see where Rachel was getting at but her examples to how she went about defending her cases were so far-fetched it was just pitiful.

"Are you even thinking clearly or are you too sauced to tie anything together today?"

Dana glanced up from her phone as Kate peered over her shoulder to snoop and see what it was Courtney sent Dana in the text. She read it and gasped, one hand going up to rest on her cheek frantically.

"Oh no!"

Kate softly exclaimed, shocked to learn the news for herself. Taylor couldn't help herself. She took a quick peek and she also caught her breath reading the details of the message.

"Yeah. Not cool, which is exactly why I'm trying to get their attention."

Dana muttered gruffly, glaring in frustration at the two bickering women before her.

"Is poor little Rachel Amber sacred that someone else is getting close to her Maxie bear? I find your reactions a tad obsessive there and if anyone's being possessive about the friendship it's you!"

Victoria jabbed finger in Rachel's chest, making her stagger back slightly.

"Max finally told me about what started all this crap and how you blew up because she was hanging out with Justin and some other guys and how you freaked on her just because she didn't respond to your calls immediately. You know, based on the evidence, I really think I'm more of a friend to her than you are right now."

Rachel recoiled as if the statement had burnt her.

"How can you say that?! You don't even know what all I sacrificed for her so I could be with her! You have no idea just how much I've had to change just so I could give her the love and friendship she desires!"

Having heard enough of their arguing, Dana stood up and yelled at them.

"Guys!"

Victoria and Rachel slowly turn their heads in her direction.

"Will you both shut up for five minutes?!"

Rachel pressed her lips tightly together and cautiously remarked at Dana,

"Dana, this really isn't a good time to be talking to me like that."

Dana rolled eyes.

"Okay then."

She shrugged.

"So I guess Max being rushed to the ER because her brain ruptured isn't worth your time?"

Dana looked off and scoffed.

"Fine. I'll just tell Courtney you're too busy fighting to come to the hospital with everyone else."

Rachel froze and her entire world just stopped.

"W... What?"

Dana looked at her and made a clicking noise with her tongue.

"I said, Max is at the hospital and her brain almost exploded... she's in surgery right now. Chloe's already there."

Kate glanced between all the faces and carefully re-inserted herself back into the fray.

"Shouldn't we head over there too?"

Rachel was speechless, unable to move, think or react. Victoria temporarily lost all feeling and responsive sense for a moment and struggled to pull herself together. When she got over the initial shock of hearing the tragic news, Victoria frowned and gave her friends a determined, serious look.

"What are we doing standing around here for?"

Victoria hiked her thumb over her shoulder and at the double doors behind her.

"Come on guys. We're leaving as right now and we're going to go to the hospital and figure out what's going on."

Without another word, Victoria got up from the table and started for her car, not caring about anything anymore. Classes included. Taylor stood up and hurried after Victoria, secretly scared for Max and wanted nothing more to do than to go to the hospital and see her. Taking a deep breath, Dana found Kate's worried eyes and offered her a warm, reassuring smile.

"Come on Kate. Our professors will understand. This is more important."

Nodding, Kate rose up in motion with Dana and together, they exited the cafetiere, rushing past several students in the crowded hallways to get to Victoria's car. Rachel also left and headed out back to her own vehicle and drove herself to the hospital in a stiff, glum silence.

* * *

When the group reached the hospital, Chloe was already there, sitting on a chair, doubled over and grabbing at her messy tousled hair, breathing slowly. Thankfully, Chloe was smart and took the liberty of calling Max's parents and informing them on what was happening. Max's parents were devastated at the news and strongly debated on taking off from work and catching the next flight to L.A. but Chloe convinced them to stay put until she heard more from the doctor and could give them a more detailed report about Max's reason for being hospitalized. Currently, all of Max's friends from Blackwell were present in the waiting room with Chloe. Some were sitting other were standing, heads bent deep in thought. As Victoria entered the waiting room with Kate, Dana and Rachel, the tension eased up a little but not by much. Stella glanced over in their direction and seeing as how no one was offering to inform them on Max's status, she went ahead and told them.

"Hey guys. Might want to find a seat and get comfortable. The doctor said the surgery would be at least another three hours. Evidently Max's brain ruptured and it was caused by what they call a fusiform."

Daniel cocked his head in curiosity. He didn't know what that was and he highly doubted everyone else knew what it was. He asked Stella to clarify for those who were lost like him and leaned forward in his seat, very anxious learn what a fusiform was.

"And what is that, exactly?"

Turning her head, Stella rested her eyes on Daniel and gave him, as well as anyone listening a brief description and meaning behind the word.

"Well, first off. You guys need to understand that Max had an aneurysm. For those who don't know what that is, it's a balloon-like bulge or weakening of an arterial wall. As the bulge grows it becomes thinner and weaker. It can become so thin that the blood pressure within can cause it to burst or leak. Most aneurysms develop from a weakness or abnormal artery wall. Aneurysms usually occur on larger blood vessels where there's an artery branches. Approximately 80% of aneurysms form in the front of the brain, while 20% form in the back of the brain. With me so far?"

Everyone gave a prim nod of acknowledgment or a small grunt. Pleased to see that her peers were processing the information correctly, Stella crossed her leg over the other and shifted around in her seat to get more comfortable before spreading out the information.

"When a fusiform sets off in the brain, the aneurysm bulges in all directions and has no distinct neck like some of the others do. The symptoms for this vary. The most common ones are nausea and vomiting, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, blurred or double vision, loss of consciousness and seizures. Max was..."

Stella crossed her arms and averted her away from her peers and roommates.

"Having severe anxiety attacks and that's how we treated them, thinking that's all they were. I never would have guessed her brain was building to a fusiform. I feel pathetic for not taking more time to look after her like some of the others did in the house did. I was so engrossed in my studies and after school activities I didn't even notice she was suffering the symptoms. I mean, I'm taking Nursing this semester. You'd think I'd be more on top of these sorts of things but... I just wasn't."

Chloe quietly stood up to greet Rachel. Right away, Chloe could tell Rachel was in shock, so she went to her, wrapped her arm around Rachel's shoulder, guided her over to a seat and helped her sit down beside her. Prior to having the procedure explained to her by Stella, Victoria removed herself from the waiting room and while uncharacteristically biting her manicured nails, started pacing the halls, unable to speak or think about anything for the moment. Courtney went to get her after a good length of time had past and brought her back into the waiting room, thinking Victoria needed the moral support. Seeing a free chair, Victoria sat down with a heavy sigh. Taking a seat next to her, Courtney reached over and rubbed Victoria's back, hoping it would help sooth her rattled nerves.

"Vi, relax. She's in good hands. Max is lucky though. If we had waited a few more days Max might not be-"

"Don't say it."

Many eyes, Victoria's included, flickered over at Rachel. Not glancing up, not looking anyone in the face, Rachel whispered to the group,

"Just... please don't... finish that sentence Courtney."

Chloe caved her arms around Rachel, trying to comfort her. Once again, a thick sheet of silence filled the atmosphere and no one could find it in them to speak. Not even to provide words of encouragement. When three hours passed, the group of frantic friends still had to wait a little bit longer before they saw the red neon ER light blink and it become green. The doctor came out with his staff, mouth masks lowered and hands free of blood stained gloves. The doctor and his staff gawked, startled to see so many people in the waiting room. Victoria immediately stood up and calmly approached the doctor with a barrage of questions but none making it past her lips as she can't seem to find the strength to ask what they all want to know. Justin gripped onto Trevor but he too, couldn't find it in him to say anything. Trevor let Justin do this but made sure to keep his eyes planted on the doctor, way too anxious to hear a report of some kind. Rachel weakly gazed at the doctor with Chloe, almost afraid of what he might say. Good or bad. Once the doctor he recovered from seeing such a large mass of bodies, he asked,

"Are you all here... for Miss Caulfield?"

He received frantic, firm nods and some audible responses.

"Well, other than being exhausted and very weak."

The doctor smiled a little, knowing it would put their worry at ease.

"She's doing just fine."

Victoria stepped back and held her forehead and felt a heavy pressure lift off her shoulders. In general, the sighs and looks of relief was a overwhelming sight to observe for the doctor but it also made him happy to see that his patient had so many people who cared about her well being.

"Are you her sister?"

The doctor asked, glancing over at Victoria.

"If so, I need to inform her family of what has happened. She'll also need to stay overnight for a few days, just to make sure she doesn't have any setbacks. But if she continues to show positives signs like she is now, she may be released by the end of the week."

Before Victoria could say anything, Rachel spoke up, providing the information the doctor needed.

"No. She's not her sister, but me and my friend sitting here are her roommates. However, our roommate, Miss Caulfield, is living with Miss Chase until further notice. Her parents have been contacted and we have their number if you need to talk to them."

The doctor turned his head just slightly and offered Rachel a kind smile.

"I see. Well then since you're her roommates and Miss Chase is who she is living with, I'll need to discuss some medial things you'll all need to know prior to her release and I will also like her parents number, if that's all right?"

Rachel nodded slowly and watched as Victoria and the doctor spoke. She would of gotten up and gone over and joined them but she felt so guilty and undeserving to be present, she said nothing and let Victoria have the glory.

"Please do. I'll be seeing to all her needs since she's staying with me."

Victoria empathized that last part, making sure everyone in the room knew it, especially Rachel and Chloe. Not even phased by the disguised challenge, Chloe got up and went over to the doctor, but not because she wanted to exchange information.

"Can we see her now?"

"You may however, I recommend only four at a time and to mind how long you talk... she's in a very sensitive state and only recently had her brain put back inside of her head."

Warren stood up from his seat with a very determined look on his face.

"I want to see her."

Kate nodded, seconding the notion.

"I want to see Max too."

The students argue about who would go in and who they felt should remain outside, but Victoria silenced them all with a few claps.

"I won't let anyone of you go in if you continue to act like this. Besides, I'll be going in alone first, to make sure she is actually up for visitors."

Chloe crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath,

"Of course you will."

Victoria brushed the comment off, thanked the doctor for his time and operating on Max, gave him the information he needed then finally started heading for Max's room. Chloe watched her go, along with everyone else defeated and she re-took her seat, frustrated with the situation but said nothing to show her just how bitter she really was. Inside of the room, Max laid very still under the covers and was still very weak and coming out from being put under. Hearing Victoria softly call to her, Max actually managed to crack a half smile at her. The nurse present in the room looked at Victoria and kindly cautioned her to speak simply and slowly, if needed. Content with things, the nurse smiled and left them alone. Victoria waited for the door to close, then she glanced down at Max. Max could barely keep her eyes aloft but she made sure to have them half way up at the most so she could look at Victoria. Pressing her lips tightly together, Victoria went to stand by the head of the bed but didn't try to make any other advancements.

"Hey Maxine. It's me, Victoria. Umm... I hate to ask the obvious cliche but how you holding up?"

Max chuckled but Victoria could scarcely hear it.

"Max."

Max paused, coughing unexpectedly.

"Never Maxine and if I look as bad as I feel, well, that'd be saying something."

Max reached for Victoria's hand, struggling to grasp it. Victoria quickly and firmly took Max's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"It's going to be okay Max. Trust me. And guess what? Everyone is here for you outside waiting. Do you think you're ready to see anyone? It's totally understandable if you're not and I have no problem sending them away."

Max deadpaned and to Victoria's shock, she saw Max's face darken.

"By everyone, do you also mean-"

"Yes. Rachel and Chloe are here too."

Victoria mumbled, finishing Max's question for her. Max hesitated and looked down at herself, torn on what to do.

"Umm... I'm not sure I'm up for them specifically. But that would just look bad wouldn't it? If I saw the others but not them? Hmm. To be fair, maybe I shouldn't see any-"

Max was cut off by the door groaning wide open. In motion wit Victoria, they watched as Chloe and Rachel came through the door and scrambling over each other to get to Max. Chloe glanced at Victoria then fixated her gaze on Max.

"Max your parents are hella worried and so are we."

Chloe took a moment to use the the back of her arm to wipe her tears away.

"The doctor told them you were okay now but you're gonna have to call your mom when you get the chance so they'll stop freaking okay?"

Chloe holds back more tears, really hurt that Max doesn't look happy to see her or Rachel and has a strong idea as to why.

"Max you know, Rachel is really sorry for what she did. I don't get why you're giving me the cold shoulder treatment too when-"

Chloe pointed at herself.

"I haven't done anything wrong. You told me we were cool, but I'm still getting punished here? What ifs. Look man, when the doctor said you almost died... I... I couldn't bear the thought of loosing you with the tension between the three of us."

Rachel listened to Chloe, while keeping a steady eye on Max. Sniffing softly, Chloe drew closer to the bed, much to Victoria's disliking and glared at Max fairly hard.

"Won't you please come back home and let us take care of you again? I mean, come on. Throw us a bone here. What do we gotta do to make things right?"

Rachel hesitantly crept closer but Victoria let go of Max's hand and stopped her with the other one. Victoria tolerated Chloe breaking the barrier but there was no way she was about to let Rachel do it, not after all the things she's done. Not wanting to fight, Rachel backed off but glowered hatefully at Victoria who shot her a disgusted look of her own. Sending the power struggle rising already, Max lowered her head. Not in anger or hate but out of sadness. She knew Victoria was only trying to protect her and she understood that Chloe really missed her. She missed them. Max had wanted to see Chloe and Rachel again for so long but not like this. She didn't want to still be seen as someone who needs to be looked after so without raising her head, she addresses the them in low, cautioning voice,

"I'll... I'll be sure to call everyone and let them know I'm fine. But I don't think I'm ready to have this talk right now and I don't want to go home just yet."

Scoffing, Chloe shook her head in frustration.

"And why not?"

Max lifted the arm that had the IV bag connected to it and weakly gestured at Chloe to calm down.

"I just... can't handle it right now... so can we please do this another time? Could you two... leave?"

Stunned, Chloe stood there, hurt and just stared at Max, dumbfounded by her response. Part of Chloe was convinced Victoria was responsible for Max's hesitation. Another part of her wants to respect Max's wishes but overall, no matter how many times she tried to slice it in her mind, Chloe couldn't understand why Max kept pushing them away. Feeling herself starting to panic, Chloe asked Max a question she didn't think would ever have to fall from her mouth.

"Are we still best friends, Max? Are we still soulmates? Can you at least answer that?"

There was a long extension of silence and that did it for Chloe. Looking at Rachel, Chloe wanted moral support, but saw only sadness and defeat reflected off Rachel's face. Max cringed at the dread she felt coming from Chloe, Max raised her head up a bit, but still didn't meet their gaze.

"Sorry. It's taking me a little to get my bearings. I heard you my brain is just really... slow right now. Chloe Price, of course we're still best friends and soulmates. That hasn't changed between us I just... need some more time to process through some things, okay?"

Victoria was touched, seeing Max trying so hard. Out of habit she retook Max's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, even it might cause some tension from the two who where denied embracing Max. Having some closure, Chloe stood there, awkwardly rubbed at her arm with the tattoo and after some hesitation, she wipes the remaining tears away, nods, then reaches over to touch Rachel on the shoulder to get her attention. Rachel surprised them all by slapping Chloe's hand away.

"Don't touch me."

She growled, furious at the lot of them. Chloe understood Rachel's pain and her lashing out but feared Rachel's reaction would upset Max.

"Rachel... don't do this. Not here. Max asked us to leave, so let's just bite the bullet and bounce outta here real quick like, 'alright?"

Rachel lifted head and turned eyes with fire on Chloe, then Max and finally, Victoria. It was clear to them Rachel was struggling to contain her emotions from all spectrums and Victoria's warning look only vexed Rachel's foul mood.

"You know what? Screw all of you. I came here because I was worried about Max and her health. Not to see about getting her back. That was all you on you Chloe."

Chloe winced and Victoria saw it and for once, she took pity on Chloe because she, like anyone who knew Rachel's moods, could tell that she was about to do something hurtful and Victoria had a strong guess who Rachel had it out for and it wasn't her.

"I know but-"

Rachel cut Chloe off and gave her such a vicious look it actually sent chills down Chloe's spine.

"I can't keep doing this. If Max wants more time away, fine."

Rachel threw her arms up, clearly frustrated.

"Fine! But I refuse to keep hoping to just have a conversation or get a returned text if all it amounts to is Victoria having a say so and having Victoria speak for Max!"

Max whispered, slightly taken back by Rachel's outburst.

"Rachel please. Don't get mad. We're not your enemies."

The emotional tension was too much on Max's recovering body and as a result, she started to cough. Instantly, Victoria rubbed her back and hoped the subtle gesture would calm Max down.

"It's not what you're thinking. I don't want you to feel like I'm choosing Victoria over the two of you. That's not it at all."

Rachel was no longer in the mood to listen. Stepping away from the bed, away from Chloe, Rachel shook her in disgust at them.

"Call me when you're done. Which the rate you're going Max, will be never. And that's okay... what's not okay, is not telling me to my face. Maybe it's better to wait five years. Yeah, that would be just smashing. Then, you magically reappear in my life and fix the damage you caused."

Max's eyebrow arched high and she felt her mouth sag down against her will. She watched Rachel storm off with a confused, hurt expression on her face, unable to find any words to say. Honestly, Max wasn't expecting that kind of backlash from Rachel and now that it had happened, she didn't know what to do with herself.

"Rachel!"

Chloe called after Rachel but only got the door slammed in her face as a response. It fell quiet for a long time then Chloe finally looked back at Max and Victoria.

"I am so sorry about that. She's really digging herself a grave here, huh? Look, I'll try to get her to calm down and stay away. For all of our sakes... Max, listen to me. Despite what she just told you, Rachel knows deep down that you love her and you're not picking sides."

Chloe turned around and inched closer to the bed, ignoring Victoria's death glare.

"Rachel didn't give back the bracelets to renounce the friendship and she wasn't using the bracelets as a way to establish our bonds because the friendship isn't defined by objects, obviously. She figured with everything going on, she just felt like she wasn't worthy to wear them and you'd like them back... cheesy and pathetic as that sounds, that was Rachel's motive."

Chloe mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck guiltily.

"And I was too drunk to stop her. Maybe if I had, that scene just now, could of been avoided."

Max listened closely then when she felt she was stable enough to speak again, she locked her gaze with Chloe's.

"I do love her Chloe and I love you too. I'm just sorry I can't express what I'm feeling right now and I realize it's hurting her... I just..."

Max dropped head and sighed.

"I'm sorry I screw things up so much but despite what just happened, understand I will come home just not right now, okay? Please make sure Rachel knows that I miss her and that this isn't punishment. I'll explain everything when it's over."

Chloe nodded and offered Max a gentle smile.

"I'll let her know but only after I express how I much I miss you first."

In front of Victoria and not stopping to get permission from either her or Max, Chloe bent down and gently cupped Max's face with her hands. Chloe lowered her head and gave Max, gentle family peck on the to be cute, Chloe made a dramatic kiss sound effect as she pulled away and gave Max and cheeky gin.

"See you hippie. Come home when you're ready. We may still whine and complain to each other about you not being at the studio, but I promise you, things will be different. I'll keep working with Rachel and together, we'll become the strong pillars of strength you need us to be... or some lame mushy stuff like that."

With nothing more to say, Chloe let go of Max's face, gingerly leaned back and exited the room. Max blinked in realization with what just happened and just sighed very contently, almost missing the contact already. Victoria couldn't help but let a smile tug at her lips while thinking to herself,

Finally, they're getting somewhere. Geeze, took them long enough. Well, at least Chloe is showing progress... Rachel still needs to step up her game. She's so good at screwing up though it's almost applaudable as much as it is tragic.

Now officially alone, Victoria leaned over and placed a loving kiss on Max's forehead to reassure her what she did just now was the right thing. Spent of all energy, Max raised her hand to pat Victoria gently on the cheek to show her that she was about to pass out. Victoria nodded and simply watched Max's eyes flutter shut before giving her one last kiss, this time on her cheek. Outside, in the waiting room, Victoria finally emerged to face everyone, not surprised to see that they were all still there and accounted for.

"So how is she? Can we see her now?"

Justin asked, hope stirring within him.

"What happened in there anyway? Rachel sounded really upset and blasted out here a bit ago like a pissed off rock star... but Chloe left with a grin on her face? Dude, what gives?"

Warren pointed out, glancing between the double doors of and Victoria's face, excepting her to provide an answer of some kind. Rolling her eyes at him, Brooke lifted a finger and points an accusing finger at Victoria.

"And neither would stay around long enough to tell us anything. But I suppose that's why you're still here so you can inform us, right? I'm with Justin. How is she doing anyway?"

Trevor nodded, standing up from his seat beside Brooke, arm crossed, eyes narrowed.

"Holla to us Vi. Is Max okay or not?"

Juliet raised her hand as if she were a student in a classroom and as if understanding that, Victoria tipped her head at her to signal to her to go ahead and speak her mind.

"And if so, can we see her? I'm really worried about her even though I don't need to be..."

Taking pity on Victoria getting overrun with so many questions, Courtney glanced up from the TIME magazine she had been reading this whole time and tried to assess the situation by studying Victoria's facial cues.

"She needs some time to herself, doesn't she?"

Victoria frowned, almost irritated with the question but knows she needs to provide them all answer since Rachel and Chloe clearly failed in that area.

"I think after everything that's happened, it'd be good for Max to have some positive energy in her life. She is asleep, so just keep your voices down and do as the doctor suggested. Meaning, go in pairs. Four at a time. Oh and before anyone can complain or blow it out of proportion..."

Victoria trailed off and made a show of the room, taking in all the worried faces staring at her.

"Rachel and Chloe are her actual roommates, so it was only right to allow them to barge in there unannounced... I realize that might come across unfair but they have VIP access in that way and no, it wasn't the greatest visit for either of them. Rachel didn't take what Max had to say very well but Chloe did. Interview over. Now."

Victoria side stepped so they could enter.

"Knock yourselves out."

No sooner after the room cleared out, the large group of friends lined up to take their turns, they were very happy they could go in and circle around Max's bed. Victoria sighed, glad to be relieved of the pressure of dealing with so many people.

"I really need some R&R."

She muttered, raising her hand to rub at her eyes. Courtney was the only student who remained behind. She did not pair up to go in nor did she stand in line waiting to pair up with someone. She waited until she and Victoria were alone before tossing the TIME magazine off to the side and getting up to go stand beside Victoria.

"Hey. You okay?"

Victoria took a deep breath, held it then gradually exhaled through her nostrils.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I just haven't been able to rest much since Friday because of Max's panic attacks... then this had to go and happen. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried."

"I know you, Kate, and Dana have been staying up with Max while she had those freaky attacks. If you all hadn't I'd really hate to think what would be happening right now. I was always busy, occupied with homework or just... stuff that was important to me. At least you guys set aside time to be there for Max."

Courtney playfully poked Victoria's cheek with her finger.

"You especially. Seriously Vi, when did you change and become such a pushover for Max?"

Victoria smirked and nudged Courtney in the shoulder.

"I guess I did change huh? I don't know when and I don't really mind after everything that's happened and I'm not sure I'd have it any other way."

Victoria thought about what she just said then scoffed in disgust at herself.

"You know, if you guys had told me a year ago that I'd come to respect and love Maxine Caulfield, I would've destroyed your social image and said some pretty nasty things to and behind your backs. But now I couldn't imagine my life any different."

Victoria shrugged casually.

"I guess she just has that kind of charisma of attracting people even if she doesn't know it."

Victoria jabbed Courtney in the chest, causing Courtney to grimace.

"But that doesn't mean I'll let you girls have Max all to yourself. You can't handle her anyway so back off."

Victoria mirrored Courtney's smirk, then they shared some laughter. Lifting up her hands, still laughing, Courtney remarked,

"No worries there. You can have her. She's your friend zone, not mine."

Tipping her head back, Courtney took a moment and looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"And Kate's. And Dana's. Somehow, Brook's, forever Alissa's, Juliet's and oddly enough, she and Warren still have a thing going on."

Courtney started counting on her fingers.

"And we can't forget the the originals who started it all. Chloe and Rachel, the epic soulmates of Arcadia Bay. You know it never occurred to me how much of a player Max is until just now."

Victoria threw one arm around the back of Courtney's neck and together, the two walked out of the waiting room and out into the lobby where Victoria planned on getting a snack and juice box.

"You're just jealous you're missing out. Admit it."

"I will when she upgrades her wardrobe and puts a little more effort into her fashion selections. She's got a good start but has a long way to go if she's hoping to impress me."

The two shared another round of laughter then Victoria dropped her arm from around Courtney upon reaching their destination. Reaching in their back pockets, they presented their wallets and took out some change. Once they got something to eat and drink from the vending machine, they returned two the waiting room to sit down and relaxed while everyone else continued to visit with Max.

* * *

 ** _Three weeks later..._**

* * *

Kate literally waited for Victoria to go shopping for the house before silently creeping out of her room and going up to Victoria's door. Just in case Max was sleeping soundly, Kate knocked extra gently on the door. Max jerked in her sleep hearing it and Kate's voice.

"Max? Are you awake?"

She asked from the other side of the door.

Max grumbled a bit while contemplating whether to answer or not.

"Um... hold on."

Max scrambled out of the bed and stood on jelly legs. It took Max a minute to get her bearings before she could probably walk without feeling like the floor was going out from under her feet. Personally, she blamed the drugs the doctor put her on to help dull the pain in her head. Rubbing at the area where they shaved hair off to make the incision, Max's fingertips lightly traced the stitch trail, wincing at how just the tiniest bit of pressure, faint as it was, created a terrible thunder clash in her brain and caused it to ache almost instantly.

"Coming."

Max grumbled as she groggily patted around for the door handle. Feeling it make contact with her hand, she gripped it and twisted it open. Her sleepy eyes lit up seeing Kate standing there and smiling at her.

"Oh. Hey Kate. What's up?"

"Hi Max. Can we talk? That is, if you're up to it?"

Max stepped back so Kate could come in.

"Sure."

Max softly closed the door behind Kate and turned around to face her.

"Anything for you. I've missed our talks."

Max moved over to the bed and patted the area next to her for Kate to join. Grinning, Kate bounced over and plopped down beside Max. She drew up her knees then gradually turned her head just in time to see Max look away and yawn and couldn't help but smile and playfully nudge Max with her shoulder.

"Someone's well rested. I guess we should thank the drugs?"

Sighing, Max shook her head to clear it then nodded, to show Kate that she heard her and was in complete agreement.

"Yeah? Stress and being doped up on narcotics for three weeks will do that to a person."

Kate blinked and her eyebrows knit together, creating a worried crease in her forehead.

"How are you doing upstairs? You know, since the whole surgery thing?"

Max placed a hand on her head in remembrance.

"I've been better. But I've also been a lot worse."

Her hand fell away, followed by a soft sigh.

"I just... I don't know Kate. You could say everything has caught up to me at once is all and it's slightly overwhelming but I'll be okay. Thank you for your concern. I would tell you more but I don't really feel like talking about it right now."

Max wrapped her arms around Kate, realizing just how much she missed their small talks. Smiling, Kate pressed her forehead against Max, enjoying the attention.

"Well, your health aside. There was something else I wanted to check in with you about. I honestly can't figure out your reasons for being here. If there was a fight or disagreement between the three of you, why not just talk it out? Moving into someone else's home is really extreme. Not unreasonable, not wrong. Just... intense you know?"

Max stared ahead at nothing while petting her housemate's head thoughtfully.

"I wish it were that simple Kate. I really do. But everyone is just in there own place at the moment and I think it's going take a little more than just talking it out to make all this better. But at the same time, I need them to understand I'm not staying here to hurt them. I'm trying to prove to myself and to my roommates, that I am strong and can care for myself. They're always protecting me, like always. More so Rachel than Chloe and I'm afraid we've become too dependable on each other for those reasons. That isn't healthy if taken out of moderation you know? But at the same time... Chloe hasn't upset me the way Rachel has. I'm really confused at her behavior pattern and I'm hoping by staying away, she'll figure some things out and fix the problem. Because trust me, it's really affecting the three of us."

All at once, stuff made more sense and Kate was getting a better idea to why Max was staying at the manor.

"I want to prove a point, that no matter what happens to me or what could happen to one of them, we will be there to support the other. and in order for that be healthy and work, we have to trust that when separated or in the face of danger, we keep our focus on what's in front of us. Call it a slick shot, but I think Rachel, more so than Chloe, has lost her focus. She's literally going crazy not having me around. At first, it was expected but now it's like she's-"

Max was cut off by the slow groaning of the door swinging wide open. Startled, Max stopped playing with Kate's hair and together, the two glanced over at the door to see who it was that had interrupted them. Rachel stood in the middle of the doorway, hair slightly in disarray, dark bags under her eyes, sag in posture and reeked horribly of weed and booze. It wasn't the greatest aroma to breath in and judging by the intensity, Rachel had overly indulged in both. Common sense told Max to dismiss Rachel or ask Kate to show her out of Victoria's room and take her to her own bedroom. At least there, they could talk in private but Max was so desperate understand why Rachel was acting weird. Like now. She just showed up, without warning and was completely wasted, smelled like a bar and had an overall unkempt, exhausted appearance that wasn't anywhere like the Rachel Amber Max knew. Frowning, Max was convinced there had to be a reason for all of this tedious conduct. Leaning out of Max's embrace, Kate shared a mutual look with Max and they sighed at the same time.

"Excuse me Kate. I need to see to this."

Victoria's room was quiet and reserved. It would do for now and be the perfect place to talk to Rachel about everything and anything. For the time being, Max didn't care if Kate was sitting on the bed and would hear them talk. At this point, Max needed to confront Rachel about a few things and since Rachel had came staggering in intoxicated, it was obvious why Rachel had come to the manor. She wanted Max and she wanted her attention... but for what purpose and why was she being so persistent about it? There had to be a reason and before Victoria found Rachel and kicked her out, Max was going to find out why. Starting now. Sliding off the bed, Max carefully got to her feet.

"Rachel?"

Not wanting Max who she knew was still in stages of recovery to strain herself, Rachel walked over to Max so Max didn't have to apply the extra effort. She tripped over her feet a few times but amazingly enough, she didn't fall over. Once Rachel was standing directly in front of Max, she looked down at her and her eyes slanted in thought. Not thinking about Kate and choosing to completely ignore the other girl's presence, Rachel dipped her head slowly. Her mouth parted a little and Rachel hesitated, not because she was concerned with what Kate might assume but because she was genuinely debating on whether or not to kiss Max in greeting on the forehead or the cheek but then settled for just bumping her forehead into Max's and slumping against her for support. With Rachel standing so close to her, Max knew that the volcanic heat radiating off Rachel's body was identical to the same kind the curse produces. Granted, Rachel was also drunk so Max couldn't be sure which one it was feeding the condition. Putting that horrid theory on the back burning in her mind, Max tipped her back so she could get better look at Rachel.

"Max."

Rachel whispered, sounding sluggish and very tired.

"Max, listen... about what happened at the hospital and what I said. I-"

Before Rachel got too deep, Max rested a finger against Rachel's lips, silencing her. Keeping the finger there, Max quickly turned her head and gave Kate an apologetic look.

"Kate? I'm sorry to ask this but could you give us a minute?"

Smiling sweetly, Kate nodded and quietly showed herself out of Victoria's bedroom. She shut the door behind her, somehow knowing the two of them needed the extra privacy. When Max was sure Kate was out of ear range, she lowered her finger and waited for Rachel to resume the conversation.

"I need to get something of my chest. I've tried ignoring it but at the end of the day, I don't want to pretend or lie to you anymore."

"Go on."

Max gently urged, curious to learn what it was Rachel wanted her to know.

"It's about myself Max. Look, I get it. I'm like a leech, sucking the life out of you... it's like I'm a ghost that won't leave you alone and I know I let you have all the power over me when I gave you the key to my heart but blast it all, it wasn't supposed to be this way. I gave Frank and Chloe a key and they don't have this kind of influence over me but you do. You actually make me want to behave and become a better person. This much about my resolve, I think you put together a long time ago but understand, ever since our fight and you choosing to move out, I've tried letting you go so I could prove to you and Chloe, that I could do it and that you were wrong."

Rachel ran a hand through through her hair, sighing loudly.

"You were right but I was having the hardest time trying to understand why you were right and I've nicely been... messed up ever since. And that's another part of my problem I'm trying to understand about you."

Max's gaze softened. She grazed her fingers down Rachel's arm, silently encouraging her to keep going.

"You accepted me from the start, despite all of my issues even though you had heard about all the stuff I pulled at Blackwell. You admitted to me in your dorm how you saw through my deception to become your friend in the beginning, but you kept being real with me. Max who does that? Why didn't you react like everyone else? If Nathan Presscott, for example, where standing here right now and you were to ask him about all the horrible stuff I did when I was still attending Blackwell, he'd have nothing but bad things say about me and it would be justified. And he was just one of the many people I toyed with. I led Nathan on because I thought I could take advantage of a rich elite's money and use it my advantage even though I myself am loaded. Then I saw how screwed up he really was and felt horrible about it. I was already hooked on weed and booze when I had met Chloe. So by the time I hooked up with Frank and found a whole new level with his drugs I... I was barely holding together. There was weird things going on, so I often went to the lighthouse to think about it. And yes, the weirdness was my acquired time power but I couldn't tell anyone. They'd call me crazy. In my anger towards myself at not being able to understand why I could fast froward time, in my desperation to escape the pain from my youth, I became so many different shades of gray, I became lost. All the things I've done to people, everything they have said about me, it's true. Why do you continue to love me Caulfield? I don't deserve you."

Max understood what Rachel was trying to get at but it still didn't sway her opinion on the matter.

"But look at you now. Sure I'm still getting to know you. But this much about you I do know. Despite how you mingle between light and dark and do you best to entertain the masses, you're actually a kind person."

Rachel's laugh was bitter, almost evil sounding.

"Max. You're high. I'm none of those things. Don't confuse the beast in me with the beauty in you."

Max's face became serious and Rachel noted the change.

"For someone who pretends to be so confident, you sure are good at being hard on yourself when it's not even necessary. You do have a big heart. You may limit who goes in, who can stay and who has to leave but the fact that you even allow some people inside of your heart speaks volumes. And since I've seen how your father is first hand and witnessed how he treated you in the alternate reality, I totally see why you're distrusting of others and only use your skills to break people. It's all you've ever known and had to look forward to."

Max gestured at herself, eyes darting all over Rachel's downcast face, wishing Rachel would just raise her head and look at her already.

"But then you met Chloe and me and you've changed because of it. Yes, you screwed up with me but that doesn't erase the progress you've made since Arcadia Bay. Even when you're tricking someone, you're still giving them your time... little bits and pieces of yourself, not expecting anything in return but then I stopped beside you and started picking up the bits and pieces, always going out of my way to hand them back to you and suddenly, you had a reason to try harder."

Max lowered her gaze, now quietly assessing the designs in the carpet along with Rachel. Biting her lower lip, Max's eyebrows furrowed as unwanted moisture clouded her vision. She blinked, allowing the tears to fall but tried hard to keep a clamp on her voice, for Rachel's sake.

"You may not be perfect but you know what? That's okay. Who is? You showed me in private just how real you can be and I believed you were being genuine about everything you shared with me. Now we're here, in L.A and you're trying to keep at it, even though we've had some set backs in our friendship, so what? I love you. I never stopped loving you. More importantly, I accept you for who and what you are."

Max clenched her jaw so tight, she actually scraped her teeth and hurt herself a bit.

"You're fine, just as you are. Tall, beautiful, mysterious and full of complex secrets. When I signed up to be your friend, I agreed to meet the fake you. When I became your soulmate, I indirectly demanded to meet the real you. So the way I see it, you being here today, drunk and struggling to keep yourself together, is not so much a result of not having me in your life, but possibly how you've learned to coop with your feelings of being alone and forsaken when something or someone you love in your life rejects you or when that same something or someone you love in your life, is ripped from your hands and just goes away. Your heart shatters and this is why, I think you are so vague with people and struggle with those closest to you, because the pieces are scattered and without the pieces, you're all mixed up and confused. As a result, you're never able to be whole around people because what makes you that way, has yet to be fixed."

Max paused and took a minute to let the words really sink in Rachel's sloshed brain. So far, Rachel was showing signs that she was taking what Max was saying in strides so Max went on, anxious to keep peeling the layers away because for the first time in their history, Max felt like she was getting to see the real Rachel Amber. Such a discovery was the equivalent of finding a rare Pokemon that you only have one chance and once chance only to catch. Pressing her lips together, Max took a deep breath, reached out and using the tips of her fingers, gently guided Rachel's chin up so she could look her in the eye.

"This is also why you need Chloe in your life. Why you need someone like me in your life because we're helping you fix what others have taken advantage of and trampled on over and over. That's why you're a bitch and a so called user, isn't Rachel? All these negative things you think you are, the roles you play around the people you give a reason to gossip over you, are the walls you put up and hide behind so the world doesn't see just how pathetic, alone, miserable and weak you really are. How broken of a person, you are... isn't it?"

Max wasn't trying to attack Rachel. That wasn't the intention of her talk. She was already struggling to get Rachel to see the truth for what it was and when Max dared to tear her eyes off the floor and back up to Rachel, Max's gasped, seeing something that she thought, she'd never live to see happen. For once in her life, Rachel Amber's stood there in genuine shock with tears running down her face and to Max's further astonishment, Rachel nodded her gently in somber agreement.

"Oh Max... everything you just said. Yes that's why I'm such a monster and a wreck without you... evidently."

Rachel breathed in, instantly feeling her throat constrict. Stunned, Max watched as Rachel reached up to wipe at her face. Using the back of her hand, Max hastily brushed her own tears away. Sniffing softly, Max went on, not even sure what was driving her anymore. Desperation perhaps?

"Hey. If it helps, I'm talking to myself as much as I'm talking to you. If there was one time I wanted you to understand my feelings and be sensitive, now is the time to do it Rachel."

Instead of answering, Rachel laughed thickly and then before Max realized what was happening, Rachel reached out and threw trembling arms around her, pulling Max close to her chest. At that moment, Dana decided to turn on her stereo and blast it on high. It pulsated through the thick walls, creating an unpleasant noise but Max barely noticed with her ear pressed against Rachel's chest, completely tuned into the frantic thumping of Rachel's heart beat. Very carefully, Max lifted her arms to embrace Rachel in return, her hands dancing across her soulmate's back. Rachel just held onto Max tighter. After along moment of crying on each other, their sobs quieted down and Rachel eased back, putting Max at arm's length. They gazed at one another with nothing but pure understanding. When Rachel dared to smile at Max, it suddenly didn't seem so dangerous or flirtatious anymore. It felt simply felt good to see Rachel smile. As Max continued to hold Rachel's stare, Max's mind blissfully went blank. It's not that she wasn't thinking or taking the situation seriously.

She was.

For Rachel to come in and do what she did at the end, was very deep to observe and take in. Max didn't want to worry or think about anything at the moment. Not her own insecurities, the curse and the mystery surrounding her and Rachel's time power. Max just thought how nice it was to have undergone everything with Rachel and Chloe and still come out on top. Their bond was truly, unbreakable. She and Rachel suffered the curse, struggled to trust each other, become soulmates, died, came back somehow and in spite of the long months of separation, the three of them still cared and needed each other. That alone, impressed Max enough to overlook everything and make up her mind to finally do something she knew her roommates had been waiting for her to do for quite some time now. Just as Max was preparing to confess that she was going to move back in, the bedroom door opened and Victoria stepped in and instantly looked at the two of them standing by her bed. Rachel winced and sighed.

"Aww no."

"Rachel."

Victoria growled sternly and was just about to open her mouth and rip Rachel a new one when Kate poked her head out of her room and saw what was about to happen. Without thinking, Kate quickly came out and went into Victoria's room and started to improvise for Rachel, knowing what fate awaited her.

"Victoria. I thought you had to get groceries?"

Victoria raised and eyebrow, pinning Rachel with her eyes.

"I did... but I forgot something."

Victoria glared and Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat, actually fearing Victoria for once. Instead of handling the situation calmly, Victoria lost it. She had put up with Rachel's drama long enough and after that little stunt at the hospital, Victoria was appalled to see Rachel in her room, talking to Max. Under normal, friendlier circumstances she wouldn't care but since Rachel's only gift is wounding Max's feelings, Victoria felt the maternal need to protect Max from Rachel's unpredictable urges of verbal attacks.

"Rachel, what are you doing here?!"

She exclaimed, coming into the room and closing the door behind her to block off the drunk's escape route.

"I-"

Rachel glanced at Max, then slothfully back at Victoria.

"I just needed some closure. I wasn't going to do anything to upset her."

Victoria didn't buy that. She was done giving Rachel chances and as if sensing the oncoming doom, Kate put herself into the conversation, kindly pleading with her roommate.

"Victoria, wait."

Kate put herself between Rachel, Max and Victoria and gently touched Victoria's arm, instantly drawing Victoria's attention away from Rachel and onto herself.

"Maybe we should give them a minute? Just one?"

Victoria shook her head, dead set against the idea. Taking pity on Rachel, Kate tried to persuade Victoria again.

"A mere sixty seconds?"

Kate smiled and continued to do smile until Victoria caved in. Victoria couldn't say no to Kate. No one in the house could say no to Kate. Huffing in annoyance, Victoria glanced at Kate's beaming face and then immediately looked away when she caught Max looking at her with the same hopeful expression. Her lips pressed together in a hard line as the silence stretched between the four of them. Irritated at the fact that she could pretty much guess Rachel barged her way into the house really made Victoria's blood boil and it gave her every reason to not comply... but deep down, she also knew Max needed to do this so before answering, Victoria turned to gesture at Max ask if she could handle the situation.

"You up for this?"

Max gave Victoria a hesitant nod. Victoria wasn't convinced that Max was, but she shrugged, finally giving into their demands.

"Okay. One minute. Any longer and I am coming in to drag you out Rachel and no, I will not be kind."

With nothing more to say to the lot of them, Victoria whirled around and left her bedroom. Relieved that Victoria was allowing Rachel some more time with Max, Kate smiled at them and wished them luck with her eyes before she also exited the room. When Rachel heard the soft latch click shut, Rachel resumed her advancements and whether Max was ready for it or not, she turned her head and gently family pecked Max on the mouth then Rachel moved her mouth over to Max's cheek. From there, Rachel gave Max pepper kisses all over her face. As she did this, Rachel sloppily clutched at Max's sleeve, craving her touch and needing to feel Max to assure herself that things were really happening. Max giggled and caved her arms around Rachel in a big hug, missing the simple interactions with Rachel just like Rachel had missed hers and when Max saw and felt how desperate Rachel was trying to embrace her more, Max turned her head and kissed Rachel back on her cheek then nuzzled up under Rachel's chin and trailed the tip of her nose playfully down side of Rachel's neck. Rachel sighed, happy to receive the attention. To the naked eye, it would like they were being overly clingy and acting out of context with their affection but at heart, both girls had a mutual desire to play after so many months apart. When Max finally pushed against Rachel's shoulder, Rachel leaned back, giving Max some space. They were slightly breathless from the emotional stress they both carried.

"Sorry. I don't what came over me."

Rachel stopped herself, contemplated, then sighed in defeat.

"Yeah I do, but I shouldn't of kissed you like that without warning. I just..."

Rachel glanced to the side, averting her eyes away from Max's amused smirk.

"Really missed you. I know you need to do this, so do it."

Rachel looked back at Max and Max took note of the battle-worn expression on her face.

"I'll be waiting for you when you get home. Chloe too."

Rachel broke posture and gently dug the base of her forehead into Max's. There, she weakly nuzzled Max and afterwards, intended to pull away and leave but Max caught Rachel's face and forced her to remain in place.

"Did I say something wrong again?"

Rachel whispered, psychically finding it hardener to keep her focus and stay awake. Still panting softly from their exchanges of affection, Max answered her without hesitation, putting a stop to anything Rachel might be getting ready to say.

"Dork."

Max replied just as softly.

"Don't apologize after showing love to me like that. You might get my hopes up."

Max let a slight giggle pass her lips before returning her gaze to Rachel's sleepy face.

"You know, I've missed you guys too. It's... It's been really hard for me too but you guys won't have to wait anymore because... I'll be coming home with you. As of today."

Max dropped her hands, already missing the contact even though Rachel hadn't gone anywhere. It was the mere principal of the thing.

"Are you sure about this? I don't want you to rush this Max."

Smiling, Max placed her hand on Rachel's cheek and using the back of her knuckles, stroked it.

"Yes. I'm sure. And Rachel?"

"Hmm?"

Rachel hummed, openly enjoying the attention Max was giving her.

"I love you. And I forgive you for what happened. Now that that's off my chest, is there anything you'd like to bring up that I may have possibly done back then or here recently that has offended you? I want the water clear between us and planning on keeping it that way because fighting with you, is exhausting. I don't know how you and Chloe do it."

Releasing Rachel's face, Max waited for something to happen, not knowing what. For the second time that day, Rachel's emotions got the better of her. Oddly enough, Rachel didn't bother to hide the tears. She smiled through them, leaned forward and ebbed the tip of her nose against Max's lovingly.

"Heh... and I love you, Maxine Caulfield. And no, there's nothing you've done to offend me. It was never you... or Chloe. it was always me so, don't sweat it."

Grinning, Rachel bent head head and kissed Max on the forehead without warning then lazily wrapped her arms around Max's waist and pulled her into another hug. Their kisses were always like this. Brief and sweet. Even if Rachel had the luxury of bedding every male in L.A., coming home and giving Max affection like this would always be one of Rachel's favorite things to do and she was convinced there was nothing else that could make her feel otherwise.

"Max. Never Maxine."

Max smoothly interjected, pulling Rachel closer, thinking that she might've needed the contact more than Rachel. Tired and weary, Rachel was no longer able to keep her front up. Eyes fluttering shut, Rachel swayed in Max's arms, slumped against her and groaned, both from relief and from emotional pain. Burying her face in Max's hair, Rachel weakly clutched at Max's forearms and Max heard her whimper seemingly out of nowhere.

"Oh Rachel. You're such a hot mess."

Just as Max was rubbing Rachel's back and about to ask her what was wrong, the door swung wide open and Victoria and Kate walked back in. Victoria clearly wanted Rachel to leave her bedroom and show herself outside but Rachel was out cold against Max, breathing deeply and even snoring. Taking in the sight, Kate clasped hands behind her back and said something that would once again, make Victoria hesitate on reigning down her judgement.

"She's not feeling well, is she Max?"

Max shook her head at the simple assessment, clearly seeing the tactic Kate was using on Victoria.

"Hmm, well then Victoria, that's a shame. Since Rachel is already asleep, should I prepare your couch or call Chloe?"

Kate arched an eyebrow, her gaze still fixated on the sleeping girl in Max's arms.

"Although I'm sure Rachel would be quite comfortable on your bed too."

Max tenderly grazed Rachel's face, watching with amused eyes as Rachel continued to stand there limp in her arms, sagged against her, not even bothering to look up at the other two girls.

"Neither. Looks like she'll be sleeping with me in my room."

Everyone noticed Rachel's iron grip around Max and it was clear that she wasn't going to be letting go for quite some time.

"If that's okay with you Victoria?"

Seeing this scene play out before her and knowing how much it would mean to Max to keep a level head and allow Rachel to remain at her house for the time being, she agreed.

"Thanks Victoria and Kate?"

Max addressed, doing her best to drag Rachel to the door so they could start for her bedroom. Kate's ears perked up hearing Max say her name.

"Yes Max?"

"Can you please call Chloe and inform her about Rachel and everything in between?"

Kate grinned.

"Sure thing Max."

Kate hurried out of Victoria's room and as she started for her own bedroom, she took out her android and informed Chloe. Receiving Kate's call and learning what all Rachel had done and why she would be spending the night at the manor, Chloe was finally able to relax, but assured Kate she'd be over first thing tomorrow to pick Rachel up. Taking pity on Max and not wanting her to strain herself packing Rachel by herself, Victoria went over and took hold of Rachel's right side and flung her other arm over her neck. Max smiled at Victoria, grateful for the assistance. Victoria didn't stop there. She proceeded to help Max bathe Rachel and afterwords, opened a new pack of underwear and dressed Rachel in the fancy lingerie set. With Rachel clean, clothed and in Max's bed, Victoria started for the door. Putting her hand on the door handle, she cast Max a worried glance. Seeing it, Max lifted her head and offered Victoria a tired, cheerful smile.

"I'm okay Victoria. Really. If I need something, I'll call for someone. I promise."

Victoria nodded once and with a light tug on the door knob, she jerked the door open and exited the room, shutting the door softly behind her. Since her surgery, Max had been sleeping in a 90 degree angle to make it easier on her head. She wanted to lay down and rest like normal but she still had a few more days to go before the sensitivity wore off.

 _Ugh. Insert groan here. I really want to lay down. No can do. Even if my head wasn't a issue, Rachel's claimed the lower part of my body, making it impossible for me to move._

Max tipped her head back and let herself be still for a long moment. She was almost at the point of nodding off when Rachel's soft snoring filled the room, jarring her back awake. Max sighed and shifted her shoulders, trying to get comfortable again. Rachel chose that moment to snuggle closer, sliding an arm around Max's waist. Max's eyebrows sleepily arched up in surprise as she studied Rachel and felt the arm tighten then relax as Rachel slipped further into a deeper sleep with a contented sigh. Max sat still for several minutes with Rachel curled up against her, noticing that even in sleep, Rachel wasn't completely relaxed. The arm curled around her waist was stiff, retaining a springy tension, and Max could see faint twitches dance across Rachel's face every now and then. It was quite startling to observe and the only thing that kept Max from waking Rachel up and rushing her to a hospital was her steady breathing and normal complexion color.

"You've really had a hard time without me around... haven't you?"

Max whispered, lowering her gaze and lazily using her hand to stroke over Rachel's face and across her flushed cheeks. Rachel was laying on her side, head nestled comfortably on Max's lap, near her lower abdomen, damp hair sprawled out all over. Max shut her eyes and listened to Rachel snore for quite some time, strangely soothed by the sound of it. Eventually Max's eyelids got heavy and she drifted back into a deep sleep, her hand resting protectively on the top of Rachel's head. She wasn't sure what to expect in the future following college. Would she make it big as major hit photographer? Would Rachel finally live out her dream and become worldwide, famous model? Chloe was bound to follow after them, no matter where their paths took them. Max wanted to remain together, no matter what. After what she had learned about Rachel just mere minutes ago, Max was all the more determined to be a stable, consistent friend in her life until she drew her last breath, whether that last breath came from old age or the curse that forever remained muddled in mystery.


	15. Episode 15: Assurance

Rachel woke with a jerk, hung over with a nasty fever. It took her a minute to figure out where she was at and once Rachel understood that she was safe, in a house with Max, her body relaxed again. Raising her head off Max's lap, Rachel propped herself up on one elbow and used her free hand to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Turning her head, Rachel's eyes traveled across the room, seeking the bathroom door. Spotting it, Rachel started to sit up, eager to get off the bed, in fear that she would get sick all over Max and the sheets if she didn't. Hearing a groggy moan fall from Max's lips, Rachel looked up at Max. Max's head was wedged between the pillows, mouth slightly parted breathing deeply. Max wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon. Not wanting to wake her, Rachel let Max be and started ahead at nothing through bleary blue eyes with an annoyed look on her face. When her vision clouded and zoomed in and out like a camera lens, followed by a unexpected throbbing in her head, Rachel clutched her hair trying to wave off the pain.

"Ugh. Why did I have to drink so much last night? You'd think I'd learn after puking my guts up ten times fold to mind my limits..."

"Because you're Rachel Amber and it's in your nature to be extreme. That's why."

Max rumbled, cracking one eye half way open so she could study the drunk beside her.

"Don't confuse me with Chloe."

Rachel heard Max chuckle and slowly snapped her head up to glare at her. The jerkish movement made the nausea worse. Unable to stand it, Rachel dropped her head and went back to holding it. The room was still spinning and her head was pounding, a testament to her hectic night at the bar downtown. Having Max scold her about it wasn't helping.

"Want me to help you and stay with you until it's over?"

Max asked through a yawn as she stretched her arms over her head.

"You've done that plenty enough times. I don't want you to have to think you need to do it every time I do this to myself."

Rachel felt something trying to climb its way up her throat and clenched her teeth, fighting another strong wave of nausea.

"But if you're offering to help me, you _might_ want to rush me to the bathroom because I'm still really hungover and can't walk a straight line."

Nodding gently in agreement, Max slid off the bed and faced Rachel who had yet to get off the bed. Max held out her hands, silently beckoning to Rachel to take them.

"I'm sorry in advance for what you're about to see."

Rachel muttered, resting a hand on her bloated stomach and she clutched at the fabric out of habit. She was dangerously nauseous and the urge to vomit was growing by the second. Now Rachel was sure if she didn't go to the bathroom, she'd regret it so she quickly thrust back the covers and reached for Max's hands. Max's fingers gingerly wrapped around her shaky ones and with little effort, Max tugged Rachel into a one arm embrace.

"All right. Let's get this over with so you can sleep the rest of it off."

Max quickly guided Rachel into the bathroom, eased her down onto her knees, got in behind her and casually slid a arm around Rachel's waist to steady her. Max reached up with her hand so she could move Rachel's hair out of her face. Like a loyal, caring pet that stays by its master, Max remained with Rachel in the bathroom until she finished vomiting. Afterwards, Max dragged Rachel over to the shower and proceeded to undress her. Rachel let Max do it, not because she couldn't do it herself, but because she had missed having Max close in general. When Rachel was completely naked, Max stripped herself of her own clothes then the girls bathed together. There were a few times Rachel had to lean against the shower wall when she lost stamina but other then that, she was able to get cleaned up. Since Rachel and Max were close in size, Max lent Rachel some under garments and casual clothes to wear for the day. As Rachel dressed herself, she was suddenly overcome with a fever. It was so intense, Max had to stop putting her clothes on so she could go over to help Rachel finish and afterwards take her back to bed. The second Rachel's face made contact with the pillows, Rachel shut her eyes and just like that, she drifted off to sleep. Smirking, Max shook her head at Rachel, turned around and returned to the closet in search for a outfit to wear.

* * *

Chloe had just come over and was on her way up stairs to check in. She didn't bother waiting around to be told she could go see Max or Rachel. It was still early and no one was around anyway and even if somebody had spotted her and tried to get her to stop, Chloe would nicely ignore them and continue to climb the stairs. Without warning, without knocking, Chloe strode right into Max's room, expecting her friends to greet her. Glancing to her right, Chloe's eyes fell on Rachel first. Clearly, Rachel was passed out and wouldn't be able to give her any attention whatsoever so Chloe skipped over to Max and embraced her from behind.

"Hey Max. Miss me? Dream about me? All the above?"

Max laughed, turned around in Chloe's arms and reached up to ruffle Chloe's mane of blue hair.

"You're such a dork Chloe. It's like, five and you're over here breaking into Victoria's house without her permission I take it?"

Max draped her arms over Chloe's shoulder and gazed lovingly up at her.

"Break in? Pfft. Girl please, I figured out where they hide the spare keys for this place ages ago. It's not breaking and entering if I have a spare key to use to get into house."

Max grinned and Chloe grinned back.

"That's my Chloe. Guess Captain Price is still alive and well?"

"Hella yes. Now if only this captain could have her second mate back, life on the high seas would be okay but oh wait. That's right, my second mate is stranded on a Amazon island in the middle of wile jungle called L.A. and if I didn't know any better, I'd think she's going make it her new den forever."

Chloe was just joking, but guilt flickered across Max's features, making her grin lessen to nothing.

"About that. Look, I'm sorry Chloe I didn't think my choice to leave would hit us all this hard It's... this is my fault and I always screw things up like this without intending to."

Max's arms dropped and she grabbed her left elbow with her right hand and stared at the floor, instantly sad. Frowning, Chloe took Max by the shoulders and gave her a subtle shake, just enough to get Max's attention. When Max raised her head, Chloe peered into her eyes with such intensity, Max almost looked away.

"Don't be sorry or everything you've been doing will have been for nothing. Hella not cool Max. You did what you needed to do. I'm not blaming you. I'm just telling you the facts. Rachel chose to deal with your situation her way and I chose mine."

Chloe shrugged and glanced off to the side.

"Yeah, I drank but nothing like Rachel and I only went out to make sure she kept out of trouble. Eventually I had to stop drinking too because Rachel was drinking enough for the both of us and her choices to cut class was hurting her, just as much as the booze but it's like she just doesn't care anymore. Maybe when you come home it'll be different?"

Max's face dropped and she went back to gazing at the floor in silence. Tears threatened to fall and when she opened her mouth to speak again, her voice started to break a little.

"Do you think having me back is a good idea.? Granted, I told Rachel yesterday I would come home and I meant it but do you guys want me back? You know, after everything that's happened?"

Chloe hands grazed down Max's arm and she did that hoping it would provide some comfort and reassure Max of her decision to leave the studio.

"How can you even say that? Of course having you back after-"

Chloe made quotes with her fingers.

" "Everything" is worth the wait. You've changed somehow Max. Don't know how yet but you have and it's a good change. If we're gonna be honest, I didn't do anything to deserve this and I've wanted you back since all it started."

Chloe pointed at herself, arching an eyebrow.

"I didn't tick you off. Rachel did. But I had to be subject to the rules too, so yeah I want you to come back. And..."

Chloe trailed off and glanced at the other girl sleeping on the bed then fixed her gaze back onto Max.

"Even though she didn't come out and say it, I know Rachel wants you back too."

Max looked up at her soulmate and managed to crack a faint smile. Leaning forward, Max pecked Chloe dotingly on the forehead then brushed her lips over the area where she had kissed it.

"I'm sorry Chloe. If it's any consolation, I didn't want to leave the studio. I just wanted to prove a point. I enjoyed Victoria, living here with her and the other girls but deep down, I wanted you guys more than anything while I was gone. Thanks for being so understanding. Meant a lot."

Sighing dreamily, Chloe wrapped her arms around Max, pulled her close and returned the gesture. Shifting her head just a bit, Chloe hovered her lips near Max's ear and whispered four words that made Max smile.

"I love you Max."

Chloe moved her head down and nuzzled into the crook of Max's neck, knowing right where her sensitive spots were. Not anywhere prepared for Chloe to exploit her weakness, Max gasped, instantly weakened by sensation. Her eyes fluttered shut and she clung to Chloe, trying to keep herself steady. Chloe laughed against Max hearing sigh softly.

"Can I just say, I _love_ how this relaxes you?"

Chloe smoothly interjected as she continued to nuzzle Max's face and around the base of her neck.

"God I've missed that... for the record, I love you too."

This time it was Max who stole a look at Rachel. She watched Rachel rolled onto her back and snuggle with a pillow and the cute action brought a tender smile to Max's lips.

"And the same goes for Rachel."

Giving Chloe another small kiss on the cheek, Max stepped out of Chloe's arms, then went over to the bed. Easing down, Max crawled in behind Rachel and lowered her head by Rachel's face. Just because she was in good mood and felt like it, Max gave Rachel a light kiss on the cheek. Even though Rachel was fast asleep, she raised her head off the pillows just enough to where she could make contact returned it, surprising Max. Not wanting to be left out,m Chloe ambled over and got on the bed on the opposite side of Max. She also kissed Rachel on the cheek and Max couldn't help but grin when Rachel made a upset face when Chloe did it. Feeling a little bit of energy surge through her, Rachel stirred from her slumber and her eyes flutter opened half way. Without looking at Chloe, Rachel raised her hand and playfully shoved Chloe face away from hers but made sure to keep her gaze locked with Max.

"Oh no you don't. I want another one. Chloe, you can wait your turn."

Rachel slurred as she reached out and pulled Max down onto the bed next to her. Chloe sighed, sat back and crossed her arms, letting the two of them cuddle in a comfortable silence. Peering lazily into Max's eyes, Rachel's vision blurred, creating doubles of Max and everything surrounding her. Groaning, Rachel shook her head weakly to clear it then very quietly remarked to the girl in front of her,

"Max... I really am sorry for what I've done... I didn't say all that stuff yesterday to impress you. It... took all the courage I had to say it, you know?"

Rachel mumbled between her trails of kisses around Max's face. Grinning, Max's eyes closed and she let Rachel give her in dotting kisses, and laughed when her kisses tickled her.

"I love you, I love you, I love you..."

Rachel murmured the phrase over and over, gradually increasing her hold around Max, feeling like she needed to make up for lost time and reassure her sincerity behind each word. Chloe continued to watch the two with a soft smile of her face, content with just observing them for the moment. Summoning some more energy, Rachel eased up onto her elbows. Lowering her head, she pecked Max on the tip of her nose. Rachel pulled away just slightly so she could look at Max.

"Rachel..."

Max began gently, reaching up to stroke Rachel's face with her hand. Feeling Max's cool fingers skid over her warm skin felt wonderful and Rachel found herself blissfully leaning into Max's touch.

"It's okay, you don't have to worry about anything anymore. I love you too and even though I am _not_ sorry I left, I _am_ sorry if my absence hurt you. Rachel I had to prove I could do it. Not just to you or Chloe but for myself too. To see if I truly was capable of letting go. Im glad I succeeded, but you became very depressed and a drunk while I was away. That makes me sad but I hope you can understand why I chose to follow through with the bet."

Now in the mood to play, Max carefully forced Rachel down and rolled her onto her back so she could sit on her. Hands on her shoulders, knees pinning her hips in place, Max stared unwaveringly into Rachel eyes with a determined look on her face.

"But just so we're clear, I am not going to leave you ever again and if there is anyway I can make it up to the both of you, tell me okay?"

Seeing Rachel struggle to keep awake, Max decided to give her attention for a little while. Hands grazing down Rachel's arms, Max dipped her head and casually began to shower Rachel with pepper kisses all over her face, hoping it would be the start to making up for the months Rachel went without her. Not about to exclude Chloe from the activity, Max raised her hand off Rachel's arm and gestured to Chloe to come closer so she could give her the same affection together. Chloe grinned and happily crawled back over, anxious to join them. There, the three of them took turns giving each other affection until they tired themselves out from the bustle.

"Isn't this nice?"

Chloe asked, laying comfortably stretched out with her ankles crossed, hands tucked behind her and staring up at the ceiling. Max was no longer on Rachel and was happily nestled in between the two and nodded in agreement. Rachel started to say something, but was suddenly hit by another rush of heat, instantly making her head reel and eyelids grow heavy. It wasn't intended but she quickly felt herself drifting into a deep sleep and she didn't even try to fight it. Completely oblivious to Rachel dozing off, Chloe and Max continued to chat as they gazed up at the ceiling.

"So Max."

Chloe sighed, tilting her head in at the same time Max did with hers. Their heads touched and neither girl broke the position.

"Shall we go celebrate down stairs? Victoria has a killer food selection I want to check out."

Chloe paused hearing Rachel start to snore softly in the background. Blinking in unison with Max, the two teens shared a knowing look then gradually eased up into sitting positions so they could get a better view of Rachel.

"You know... she's quite lovely when she sleeps. Like an angel almost. She's anything but that, but you get what I mean. If Axe commercials says it smells so good that angels fall, then Rachel's so good at what she does, any man walking past her will loose his virginity just looking at her."

Max giggled at the truthful comment then made a remark of her own.

"That was sooo cheesy. But you're right. She is quite gorgeous when she's laying there innocently like that."

Max turned to Chloe and beamed at her.

"But so are you. Asleep, awake, you're beautiful to me."

Max took hold of Chloe's hand and started to play with it.

"How about I put something other than a bra and underwear and we go raid Victoria's kitchen? We could make a simple dish. Like burgers and fries. With bacon on the side."

Chloe smirked and playfully nudged her shoulder against Max's forearm.

"Dude, do you even need to ask? Let's bounce. But uh... what about Rachel?"

Max twisted her upper body towards Rachel, noting that Rachel was in a comfortable state of rest and didn't look like she would be waking up anytime soon.

"Let's let her be for now. After all puking she did, I highly doubt a greasy burger and fries would go over well with her stomach."

Chloe nodded, rolling away from Max and hopping off the bed.

"Yeah. You're right. Well then, let's go and splurge. I dunno about you, but I'm starving."

Max got off the bed too and padded over to the the closet. Chloe turned away to give Max privacy out of habit and focused her attention back on Rachel. Rachel moaned suddenly, but she didn't wake up. Concerned, Chloe walked over to Rachel's side of the bed, lowered her head, pressed her cheek to Rachel's and nuzzled her. Rachel cringed in her sleep feeling the contact and came to slightly but still didn't wake up completely.

"Rachel, you're scaring me. What's wrong with you?"

Frowning, Chloe leaned back, rubbing the back of neck slowly.

"Hungover spells, bad after effects from being too high goes only so far with me anymore. You know, now that I think about it, she's been acting off like this ever since you left."

Max glanced at Chloe snuggling Rachel and her features filtered over with concern.

"We'll make her something to eat just in case she wakes up, but till then..."

Now fully dressed, Max put on her best lady tone and offered her arm out to Chloe.

"Would the pirate queen care to accompany me to a date in the kitchen?"

Chloe nodded and took Max's hand into hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Why yes my Milady. Come, let us plunder the evil Krakin's cabinets and take her crew captive. Except the cute holy one. I like her, she's cool."

There was a delay silence then they laughed softly, amused at the analogy Chloe had used. With nothing more to say, Chloe tugged Max close, wrapped her arm around Max's shoulder and together they left the bedroom, ventured downstairs and went into the kitchen to see about getting something eat.


	16. Episode 16: Simplicity

**A/N:** So I have this online friend Bre, who at the time, had a bad day at work. I told her I'd write a chapter to cheer her up. This is that chapter I owed her two months ago. BTW, if anyone knows about Ashley and Anthony Burch's web series, _Hey Ash, Whatcha Playing_? they might see the reference to a certain episode in this update. When I'm feeling better I'll do a better update.

* * *

After eating to their fill, Max took her medicine. She warned Chloe it would make her sleepy and she might be better off finding something productive to do until her had a chance to sleep the effects of the drugs off. Chloe didn't want to believe it would happen but sure enough, twenty minutes into their conversation, Max's eyes started to seep shut and she found herself having to jerk her head upright to keep herself from falling face forward into her plate of food. With a caring look on her face, Chloe rose up from the table and went over to stand beside Max. There, she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Don't fight it for my sake Max."

"But-"

Max softly protested, fighting back the urge to yawn. Frowning slightly, Chloe shook her head.

"Nah man. You're done. Let's get you in a bed so you can rest up, okay?"

Max lifted her hand and weakly placed it over Chloe's. She tried to squeeze it back but wound up yawning and slumping against Chloe's side instead. Feeling the softness of Chloe's shirt brush against her face and tickle her nose, Max nestled her face into the shirt. Chloe quickly gathered Max up into her arms and was careful not to jar her head. Chloe couldn't help but grin down at Max.

 _She is so cute._

Dipping her head, Chloe placed a tender kiss on Max's forehead before turning on her heel, taking her up the stairs to her bedroom and placing her caringly beside Rachel. Rachel opened her eyes and sat up on the bed. She didn't bother asking what happened to Max. It was fairly self-explanatory. Leaning over Max, Rachel eased forward and gave Chloe's cheek a firm nuzzle. Laughing softly, Chloe tilted her head to the side and returned the gesture.

"Hey. When I get freshened up, think you can drive me to the studio and bring me back?"

Chloe nodded.

"Sure thing. Can I ask why?"

Rachel shrugged as she ran a hand through her messy tangled hair.

"I would tell you, but I'm still waking up and I really gotta use the bathroom. When I'm done, I'll come down stairs and tell you then. Is that okay?"

Chloe stepped back so Rachel could have some space.

"No prob. I'll just go find something to do while I wait I guess."

Rachel crawled around Max and slid off the bed. She swayed and lost her balance when she tried to walk to the bathroom. Chloe caught her by the forearm and steadied Rachel, sparing her from falling flat on her face.

"Thanks."

Rachel muttered, gradually tugging her arm out of Chloe's grasp and attempting to walk a second time. Chloe stood by the bed and watched Rachel go over to the wall and use it as a support. Her heart swelled and in the end, she couldn't let Rachel suffer her hang over alone.

"Let me help?"

Pausing, Rachel glanced over her shoulder just in in time to see Chloe embrace her from behind. Rachel loved how Chloe's unexpected hug made her feel loved but at the same time, she also didn't care for the much needed assistance for something as simple as going to the bathroom.

"Ugh. I'm fine."

Chloe knew Rachel couldn't see her rolling her eyes, where she was hugging her from behind, but she must of sensed it because Rachel whipped her head around and gave her a cold piercing stare of annoyance.

"No you're not."

Chloe insisted, trying hard not to wince under the intense glare Rachel was giving her.

"Whatever you downed it turned your world upside down. Just let me help you into the bathroom, then I'll bounce and let you chill."

Rachel looked forward, shut her eyes and released a painful sigh.

"I don't want to be seen as helpless. At the most I should be able to do this by myself. It's not fair that being hung over makes me feel this weak and pathetic anymore."

Increasing her grip around Rachel's waist, Chloe pecked Rachel on her cheek then rested her chin on Rachel's sagging shoulder.

"Bruh, don't be like that. I know you enjoy the attention."

Chloe grinned when she heard Rachel scoff and tense slightly in her arms.

 _I'm glad I've graduated from being the friend who knows Max gets these sorts of reactions, to now seeing those reactions for myself. Heh, and here I thought Max was the cute on in our ring. Rachel's totally pouting and somehow, I find that charming about her._

Chloe helped Rachel to the bathroom door. From there, Rachel latched onto the door frame and cautiously made her way into the grand space. Chloe shut the door, cutting Rachel off from herself, turned around and looked right at Max. She was comfortably stretched out on her side, snoring softly with her mouth parted, drooling slightly, and looked like she was in pure bliss. Chloe didn't want to disturb Max and Rachel didn't appear to be sick to her stomach, so Chloe left the bedroom, content with how things were. Hands stuffed in her pockets, Chloe entered the Gathering Hall and sauntered over to the wall that contained games and other varies entertainment devices.

Out of all the games available, Chloe found herself browsing through the anime RPG's the most. She didn't expect Victoria or someone in Victoria's household would invest into Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but there it was. Right there wedged between Metroid: Other M and Final Fantasy: Crystal Bearers. Chloe started to reach for it then stopped herself relaxing someone might see her doing it. She nervously made a show of glancing around the room and took a few minutes to make sure no one was around or would casually stroll into the den. Granted, Victoria had several game consoles on display, all up to date.

Sadly, Chloe was in a childish mood and didn't want to play game that would require her to think hard to solve puzzles or bash buttons in order to stay alive in a fight of some sort. After everything with Max and Rachel's soap opera, Chloe just wanted to relax and ease her mind. Animal Crossing, was the perfect game for her to zen to. She would never admit to anyone that the game brought her such immense joy, at the most, she would say it's a decent kid game without giving away that she was a fan of the franchise.

"Come on Chloe, let's go do that thing."

Closing her eyes, Chloe let out a regretful sigh as she lowered the Wii controller. She glanced at Rachel's and gave her a pointed look. Rachel could tell by the way Chloe's shoulders slumped and how her eyes clouded with annoyance, she didn't feel like getting up and going anywhere.

"Do we have to?"

Rachel ran a hand through her now nicely combed out hair and shrugged her shoulder lazily.

"I know Max said she was coming home with us, but it is possible she may want to stick around and camp out here for a few more days. If that happens, I want to be prepared. You know I can't stand borrowing people's clothes. I like mine own. Period. So to answer your question yes we do."

Rachel spared the TV a quick glance before setting a firmer stare on Chloe.

"Now turn that stupid furniture simulator off."

Insulted that Rachel dared to attack her choice in entertainment, Chloe softly argued back,

"There's more to it then that."

Unimpressed, Rachel's eyebrows arched then she shook her head in disagreement, unable to find the logic behind Chloe's statement. Rachel had played Animal Crossing before once when she was a kid. Ten minutes into the game, getting off the bus and purchasing her house, she lost interest and put in Grand Theft Auto instead.

"Like what? Running around, making friends with penguins and writing letters to imaginary people?"

Scoffing deliberately, Rachel rested on hand on her hip while the other gestured at the gap between her and Chloe.

"It's boring. Turn it off and let's go."

"Just because they're no enemies doesn't make it boring."

Spotting Chloe's jacket on the rack hanging on the wall near the door, Rachel grabbed it then poked her head back through the doorway to the Gathering Hall.

" _Every_ good games needs enemies."

Rachel bitterly added, hurling the jacket at Chloe without warning. Chloe had to drop the Wii analog stick and remote quickly so she could catch her jacket. Chloe would of complained about Rachel's moodiness but Rachel was already heading out the door. Chloe scrambled up and went after her. The second Rachel and Chloe left the house, one of the girls came into the Gathering Hall. They had heard the whole conversation but couldn't bring it upon themselves to interrupt so they waited for Rachel and Chloe to leave. Now alone and the only person in the room, the girl stared down at the Wii remote for the longest time, wondering what she could do to spice things up a bit. When a creative idea struck her, she raised her eyes from the Wii remote to the TV screen and a cocky smirk formed on their lips as they devised the perfect prank to pull on Chloe Price.

* * *

 _ **Four hours later...**_

* * *

Chloe and Rachel came through the front door. Rachel with her suitcase and half eat chicken sandwich from DQ and Chloe with her joint in her hand. Since it was not her house, Chloe found the nearest trash can and tossed the joint out. She wanted to light up another stick but at least she got a good fix on the ride back over. Eager to get back to her village, Chloe nicely left Rachel alone in the kitchen, returned to the living room, sat down on te rug and starts up the game again. She resumes her game play, but saw that she had new mail in her mail box. Arching an eyebrow, Chloe selected her mail, curious to find out who had mailed her in the game. There was a autumn theme letter that appeared on the screen that said:

* * *

Dear Miss Blue,

This village deserves a better class of criminal and I'm going to give it to them.

 **From:** Cashmere Sweater

* * *

Chloe sat still for a few seconds then blinked rapidly, unsure of what to think of the message. Someone in the house got on her file, joined her village and left the note for her to see. The question was _who._ Thinking Rachel very well might of secretly joined the village while she wasn't looking, just to mess with her, Chloe called out to her, not caring if her voice was too loud and disturbed some of the other girls upstairs or Max who was still happily nestled on the bed, fast asleep.

"Rachel! Did you join my village?!"

"No."

Rachel quietly remarked, her tone flat and much softer out of respect of those who were still sleeping. Fearing she wasn't about to hear last of that conversation, Rachel temporarily left her suitcase in the kitchen and came into the living room. She quietly approached Chloe and took a seat down beside her. She was still hung over and felt pretty lousy. Rachel didn't care for Animal Crossing, but Chloe seemed upset about something that happened in the game. Rachel certainty wasn't going to play with Chloe but the least she could do was investigate and see what was going on that had Chloe tore up.

"The trees..."

Chloe trailed off and her eyes darted all over the TV screen as she desperately tried to understand why her character was walking around a snowy yard without trees.

"The trees are all gone."

Raising an eyebrow, Chloe slowly turned her head and stared at Rachel with mortified eyes.

"Did you do this...?"

Chloe sounded absolutely bewildered and Rachel picked up on the concern in her friend's voice. Eyes still glued to the screen, Rachel raised up one knee, rested her elbow over it and shook her head.

"No."

Rachel insisted, wishing Chloe would believe her and move onto something else.

"Someone trapped all the villagers."

Chloe moved the analog stick on the Wii remote, forcing her pink spiky haired villager to run to the left of the map.

"A-And dug holes everywhere and-"

Chloe cursed loudly as her character happened to walk and plummet right into a hidden hole in the game. The notification system went off, signaling to Chloe that she had new mail. Rachel wasn't interested in learning anymore about Chloe's game crisis yet she sat there beside her, unable to look away. The annoying beat was oddly mesmerizing and seeing Chloe's character freaking out was amusing to watch and provided a nice distraction from her hung over symptoms.

"There's another message for me."

Rachel waited for Chloe to select the letter so they could read it. So focused were they on getting the chibi character back to their house so they could read the contents of the letter, both girls failed to notice that Victoria, dressed elegantly as usual, crept into the living room. She stealthy made her way over to the older teens and sat down behind them. Victoria was secretly holding a Wii remote behind her back, controlling her own character. The very character she had created and added to Chloe's village and made dig the holes and trap all the other villagers. Chloe had made her character go to her house and sleep on the bed, but even while doing that, she could access the mailbox. What made Rachel and Chloe flinch was the sudden intrusion of a short blonde haired human that went up stairs, into the bedroom and stopped by the head of the bed where Chloe's character was sleeping. The girl had a devilish smile on her face and stood there, just staring at Chloe's character... non stop. Then seemingly out of no where, the second letter opened and appeared on the TV screen. It said in bold caps lock font:

* * *

Dear Miss Blue,

I AM WATCHING YOU.

 **From:** Cashmere Sweater

* * *

Disturbed, Chloe deleted the letter, woke up her character and decided to simply fix the damage to her village. Rachel pretend like the letter wasn't abnormal and kept her focus on Chloe and her character. As the seconds ticked by, Rachel cocked her head to the side and the more she watched Chloe play, the more her eyes narrowed slightly in sincere thought and curiosity.

"How long is it going to take you to undo all of this?"

She asked with some hesitation in her voice. Again, Rachel wanted to get up and leave but she couldn't stop herself from engaging with the game. At this point, she probably would sit there and keep observing until Chloe called it quits. Chloe moved her character outside into the damaged area, making her character walk all over idly for the moment. Not hearing Chloe offer a answer, Rachel promoted Chloe a second time.

"Dude seriously, how long is it gonna take you to fix this?"

Frowning, Chloe sighed and shook her head just slightly to mark her annoyance.

"About an hour."

Hearing those words, killed all the fun Victoria had going for herself. Without meaning to, she gave herself away when she expressed how she felt.

"Well _that_ was a waste of my time."

Knowing her cover was blown, there was no use in acting like she hadn't spoken or did what she did. Victoria simply waited for one of them to look at her. On cue, Chloe and Rachel craned their necks around, somewhat surprised that they didn't notice someone else had come into the living room, much less that Victoria was the culprit. Their expressions were identical. Not shocked. Not disgust. A mix of the two, with a pinch of "I can't even..." right there towards the end. Her work of torment complete, Victoria got up, dusted herself off and walked away, leaving Chloe to her game and Rachel sit stupidly beside her.


	17. Episode 17: Partners (Max Caulfield)

So there's this super important project that's due at the end of the month and I'm tripping bad about it. You'd think I'd be over this kinda stuff, given with what I had to go through at Blackwell Academy and it's academic requirements. I haven't exactly excelled in my performance since transferring to Los Angels City Community College. New location, new classmates, new professors and what does it matter? I still have the same GPA score, I still struggle to pass my classes and barely make it out of the D- range and hold a shaky C+. Sometimes, I manage to surprise myself and get a B-, never A's though. At this rate, I wonder if I ever will? It's impressive in some ways, sad in others. At least I'm consistent about it right? I don't know why I'm so stressed out about it. My poor professors have practically dismissed me for the rest of the semester and strongly advised me not to get so worked up about showing up to class and catching up. They, as well as the entire student body, heard about my surgery. Like some of my classmates, my professors came to visit me when I was in the hospital. They seemed very concerned about my over all well being so they all agreed to cut half of my homework and allow me to make up in the summer and it would would be seen as extra credit. I was really high on the morphine at the time, but I'm pretty sure I agreed to their terms.

Professor Ivy stressed me to take it easy the most. I love that woman. Professor Ivy is nothing like Mark Jefferson. I would know. I asked her from the start if she had a secret fetish about taking photos and a creepy old barn and in a weird partnership with a rich family and finally, enjoyed killing her tormented subjects when she was done with them. The fact that Professor Ivy pales on me then exploded into a rage and almost kicked me out of class made me feel better so I rewound and have been enjoying her class every since. Unlike Mark Jefferson, Professor Ivy is fun, easy going and doesn't take assignments too seriously. The ones that matter and require more effort, she grades the hardest and she only gives out two main projects every other semester. This is my second one and I need to do a good job because I failed my first one. Professor Ivy was willing to allow me to retake her class if needed, free of charge. That's how much compassion she had for me. She offered to pay for my course because she knew I had a gift, as Chloe and Rachel would say. Ugh. Insert groan here. Why does everyone keep saying that I have a gift? I can't see myself as a super fancy photography who has her own studio and clients begging me to take them on in my future. I'm far too busy worrying about how to get by, little by little. Time power doesn't help that, just for the record. Professor Ivy really believes in me and some of my new classmates do too but I just can't seem to get the right kind of feel for myself and I need to. Maybe after I recover completely and I'm back in the game, I'll feel different?

Maybe... maybe not. I'm not a rich, beautiful perfect girl who can party hard and still get amazing grades while banging dozens of hot guys. I'm not like Victoria who studies and in some rare cases, pays people to do her work for her and comes out on the top. Hell, I can't even pull a Chloe. Chloe made decent grades, something to be proud of until she _chose_ to flunk out. But even with that a part of her past, she's got a really nice job and is making good money, even though Rachel's aunt told us we didn't have to worry about paying for the studio. All she required was for us to go to school and finish out our degrees. So, in some sense, I feel like if I don't do well academically, I don't deserve to stay in L.A. with everyone. And since I want to stay, I need to ace this final project for Professor Ivy.

I... I should get up out of this comfy bed and go see what Chloe and Rachel are up to. I know when Chloe and I ate earlier, Rachel was still asleep but when I came to, she wasn't on the bed. Judging by the noise I heard coming up through the floor, Chloe was yelling at Victoria over some kind of game? Eh, I'm not sure I couldn't make out every word they were saying. Sitting up on the bed, I stretched my arms then slowly slid off the bed. I have exactly two weeks before this project is due. Part of my job, is to find a partner outside of the classroom and that person, whoever it is I'll choose, is to be my inspiration, my muse, my beacon. Professor Ivy believes bonds between people is the best ingredients on the field. Finding a model to pose in a shot is one thing. Finding the person who best compliments the lens and can draw out the locked potential inside the photographer, was the real challenge Professor Ivy wanted her students to discover. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I started to walk towards the door when suddenly, Chloe barged in and almost knocked me over. Talk about perfect timing. Chloe was just the person I wanted to talk to. If there was anyone who would keep me on my toes and bring out my inner artist, it was Chloe. I have bonds with other people. Like Rachel, Victoria and Kate but Chloe was first and Chloe has known me the longest. No offense to everyone else out there but Chloe will forever be the person who comes first to mind with these sorts of activities.

"Whoa. Sorry about that Max. Glad to see you're finally awake, sad that I almost knocked you out. My bad. I was sent up here by Rachel. She wanted me to drop off her suitcase."

I regained my balance and offered her a sleepy smile. Chloe returned it as she placed Rachel's suitcase at the end of the bed. Turning back around, Chloe came over to me and took her usual lazy stance and patiently waited for me to press on.

"It's okay. No harm done. Hey... Chloe?"

I reached out and bashfully tugged on her sleeve, knowing it would grasp her attention. Instantly, Chloe's eyes lost their playfulness and became serious and I noted the change.

"Yeah?"

Chloe's mouth twitched as she reached up under her beanie. She knocked it back a little as she combed her fingers through her much longer hair. She still has yet to decide if she's going to cut it or let it grow. I really like her short trim. It's got edge and a classical punk look that suits her. Then again, long hair also compliments her too, she's just too rocker bad ass to admit it.

"Yes."

She answered suddenly, throwing me for a loop.

"W-What?"

"Yes to whatever it is you need. I know that look on your face hippie so let's just cut to the chase and move along."

I was flattered Chloe was so eager to jump to the point and take charge but with all do respect, she didn't even know what it was she was agreeing to. Pressing my lips together, I assessed the taller girl in front of me, struggling to form the right words. Blast it all, these drugs mess with my head and my reaction times so bad, I hate it. Why people want to purposely over dose on these kinds of drugs, I'll never understand. It's not the greatest feeling to experience. Especially when I'm trying so hard to get better in general so I can live my life, the way I want to. Between my time power, the curse, it's crazy effects on my health and now, my surgery, I don't know if I'll ever be fully me again.

"Chilax sista. Whatever it is you're tripping on, it's not worth getting sick over. So stop it."

Chloe interrupted my troubled thoughts by placing her hand on top of my head. She forgot that I had surgery up there and suddenly remembered that I had and recoiled her hand. Her face was deeply apologetic and she held her hand, as if to restrain it from making contact with my head again.

"Dude I am so hella sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Laughing, I gave her a gentle shove to show her that I was fine and didn't hold any ill feelings towards her.

"Now who's tripping out and worrying themselves sick?"

Chloe snorted and crossed her arms.

"Well forgive me for looking out for your tender skull. I thought the doctors said we had to be extra careful, not put physical or lot of mental strain on you and junk?"

I laughed again. That's my Chloe. Old and faithful no matter what.

"Thanks partner. I'm honored that you care so much about me. And although it is true the doctors said that, it's been two weeks and I'm not as fragile so a gentle pat on the head shouldn't hurt anything. Now, my body aside. Are you aware of what you just signed up for?"

Chloe's arms dropped and she gave a wolfish grin that met her eyes.

"I know it deals with school. Dance class or photography, I'm guessing and I'm in all the way. Whatever you need me to do, I'll ride the victory train with you until the end."

My heart swelled hearing her say that. There wasn't a doubt in mind Chloe wouldn't agree to help me with my project, but hearing her say she would do it, just felt good. Helps my self-esteem.

"Victory? Isn't it a little early for that Captain Chloe? I have to pass the assignment first silly."

I stepped in and so did she. With the grin still plastered on her face, Chloe caved her strong around me and cradled me close to her chest.

"And you will. You'll blow this thing outta the water. You'll see. Just you wait."

Chloe let me go and took her time stretching.

"Bruh, I think my buzz is already wearing off. I blame Victoria for making me so mad I had to quit my game, then chase her down with Rachel and make her fix what she did in my game."

I grabbed at my shoulder and gave it a slow rub, hoping it would ease the tension in the muscles.

"Riiiight. Because nothing is ever your fault."

Chloe went in behind me and placed her hands on my tight shoulders. I stopped rubbing at my shoulder because I wanted to enjoy Chloe's massage. I rolled my head from side to side depending on when I felt her hands shift direction.

"You like that?"

"Mmm-hmm. It feels nice."

I couldn't see Chloe's face but I feel her amused grin stretching.

"So tell me. This project of yours. What's it about it? What is it that it requires your best friend to be your side kick?"

I turned around and faced her. She didn't lower her hands. She kept them up and curled the fingers inward so she could brush the base her knuckles along my cheeks.

"I need to take a photo but Professor Ivy is bored of mere-"

I paused so I could make quotations with my fingers.

" "Pictures" that carry no real depth or value. So she made it mandatory that we, her students, find someone to help us do that outside out the classroom. She claims asking fellow peers is too easy and over used on such projects. She wants us to really capture the essence of our passion and she believes friends or family members, are personal enough that they can do that so there you have it."

Chloe arched an eyebrow and her fingers smoothly uncoiled on my face. She cupped my cheeks, leaned forward and pressed her forehead against mine. I giggled softly because the tips of her blue hair tickled my nose and eye sockets.

"I'm not a photographer. I'm just a lousy excuse of a human being trying to keep her two best friends happy. I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'll do my best for you because I want you to do well on this. I can already tell this is really important for you, so here's to your hopefully, A+ and many more to come."

I reached up and ruffled Chloe's hair under the beanie. She kept holding my face and pressing her forehead against mine while I did this. I think Chloe liked seeing me active and playful. I think it put a lot of her worry at ease. I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face when Chloe gathered me up into her arms and swung me around gently.

"Someone's in a good mood. I blame your high."

Chloe's laughter mixed in with my own. I'm sure the other girls could hear us but I don't think they care anymore. They've gotten used to the sounds Chloe and I make when we're together.

"My weed high has nothing to do with the high I get off being near you. So there. You make me happy Max and I'm not ashamed of my emotions. That's all Rachel remember?"

I laughed again, my hands still ranking through her long tassels.

"Hey now. Leave the moody actress alone. She and I have come to a wonderful understanding and she's got some deep scars under that pretty smile. She needs more time before she gets to the level you and I have Chloe."

Chloe finally stopped spinning us and somehow managed to fall perfectly on the bed, side by side. Beaming happily up at the ceiling, Chloe reached down and laced our fingers together while her foot kicked against mine. We turned our heads at the same time and she grinned at me, like we're kids again, like we're sharing a secret. You know, being on the receiving end of her smiles still takes my breath away. I don't mean that in a weird way. Chloe's like this ball of sunshine that gets buried under all the punk rocker theme and rebel attitude. But when she smiles, it's like I'm reminded of the girl I grew up with and it makes me so happy I sometimes get so excited I loose myself in the moment. I wish I could... influence someone like that. It'll probably never happen. That's why Chloe and Rachel will always be forever out of my reach while I struggle to keep up.

"Lemme guess. She told you she was a sensitive piss ant like Warren and was a guy all along and that's why she's so clingy and controlling?"

My jaw dropped. Wow. Just. Wow. I reached over with my free hand and slapped Chloe's shoulder fairly hard.

"No! That was _not_ what she told me last night."

"Well, what did she tell you then?"

I dragged my eyes from her amused face and scanned the ceiling above us.

"Nuh-uh. It was personal Chloe. Deep heart-to-heart feels. If you want to know what she said, go ask her yourself. She's your soulmate just as much as she's mine."

Chloe let my hand go and uses that same hand to scratch at a spot on the side of her chin.

"Nah man. Rachel's on her period and hella moody. Like more than usual. I can't help but think the curse is coming back on her and if I'm gonna be honest, you too Max. But no point in crying over what's to come, right? I just hope no one dies this time around. That was... so not cool."

Chloe's face lit up and she moved onto another conversation deliberately.

"Hey, can I cosplay as someone from an anime? Or a game?"

I kicked her lightly and she just grinned. She was serious? Really? Wowser. Okay, that's a first. Here she is, supposed to be my inspiration motivater and really is going to dress up like a fictional character to boost my moral? There's the perfect story to tell the grand kids right there.

"Come on. Let me have some fun with it. It's the least you can let me do."

She leaned forward, seizing my hands in hers and dragging them across the mattress. I sigh, feeling a blush rise on my face and yank my hands out of her grip.

"Just don't dress up as someone that would embarrass me... or you for that matter."

Chloe pouted and her bottom lip jutted out dramatically.

"So if I come dressed up as Sans from Undertale, you'd have a issue with it?"

Unable to deny her, I carefully crawled on top of her and pinned her the best I could. I was still pretty weak but I wanted to play with her.

"Okay, okay. You can dress up like Sans. But don't make it a everyday thing. We have two weeks to figure out what shot will bring out my possibilities. I'm counting on you to help me do that, partner."

Chloe nodded appreciatively then her face broke out into a slow grin.

"Hey. I just realized. Your hair style..."

Uh-oh. I knew where this was going, just by hearing the excitement rising in her voice.

"What about my hair style?"

I asked, rolling my eyes. Resting her hands on my waist, Chloe said exactly what I thought she was going to say.

"If we cut your hair again and style it just a tad bit different, you would totally look like Frisk. Or Chara. Eh, the long hair could work too. I've seen fanart where Frisk has hair about your length so I guess you can pull it either way."

I rested my chin on her shoulder and gave her a pointed look.

"Chloe it's Undertale. Chara is not the best inspiration to look at and knowing what I know about the game, Frisk can get pretty jaded too."

Chloe placed a finger on my lips, silencing me.

"It was just a suggestion, you don't have to dress up. But I'm totally gonna cosplay Sans before this assignment is over."

I nodded and got more comfortable on top of her.

"You excited about the thing or you kicking yourself already?"

I bit my lip and shifted my gaze away from her.

"I'm happy about the project. Just a little nervous. I want to do a good job."

"But?"

I glanced back at Chloe and my eyes fluttered shut when she stroked my face lovingly with her hand.

"But I have so much make up work to do and I haven't exactly been doing well in all my classes."

"When have you ever done well with your classes?"

Ouch. Chloe said that like it's just facts. Hmm, maybe it is but it still hurt.

"But also, when have you ever let that stop you from passing them?"

Oh, that was nice a comeback. Smooth Price. Real smooth. One of my eyes opened half way when I felt her hand fall away from my face.

"Hey. You mind if we can go grab a bite to eat? These munchies man, they're killer."

I rose up and rolled off her so she could get up.

"Sure thing."

Chloe hopped off the bed, spun around to face me and walked backwards to the bedroom door. Clearly, she expected me to follow. I did but stopped in the middle of the room. She stopped because I stopped and I could tell she was concerned because her grin was replaced with a scowl.

"Chloe, I know this is going to sound left field but...remember when I said to you in Arcadia Bay on the railroad tracks, what if my power doesn't last? Same goes for Rachel too I guess. Well, what if... our power does stop and go to someone else? Do you think that's even possible? Or, if that's not it, what if there's other kids out there somewhere else in the world, that have time power like me and Rachel and will get cursed too? Super heroes in the comics have multiple people who get affected by a power of some kind and join together to stop the bad guys. This is real life and this power is really scary. I'd like to think it ends with me and Rachel but lately, I can't help but think that this is only the beginning of something greater. Chloe, what if we meet other people who have this gift? What if they're bad people and misuse their gifts? I... I think I'm failing my classes more then usual because I have the insecure fears, these feelings of dread and not knowing the unknown. But honestly, it's a little hard not to when you have a power like this."

Chloe stepped forward, grabbed me by the shoulders, stopping short and her intense stare made me so uncomfortable, I found myself looking up at her.

"I won't lie to you hippie, I've thought about such things. Since I'm the normal one in the group, all I ever do is think and worry about you guys but if any of what we theorize is a possibility... well, those kids, whoever the hell they are better have amazing friends to back them up and if said people with time super powers show up here in L.A. and start shit, you best bet we'll stop them. We've come to far as group for someone else to screw it up. Don't you ever doubt these words."

Chloe pulled me into a firm hug and I clung to her, welcoming the warmth of her embrace.

"I won't let someone or a curse take you or Rachel from me again. I refuse, even if it means I have to die in your all's place. You two will have each other, so don't worry about me if something happens, so long as you two live."

Before I could say anything to insert that her life also mattered to me and Rachel and there was no point in sacrificing what we had done if Chloe died, she put me at arms length, winked at me, let me go then walked out of the bedroom like a boss. I started to go after Chloe but stopped mid way, feeling a prickling sensation on the back of my neck. Suddenly, I saw a flicker of what appeared to a deer from the corner of my eye. Alarmed, I whirled around and sure enough, by the closet door, was my spirit animal. It's faded form stood still with its ears flat against its head. Almost as if it sensed my discomfort over seeing it, my spirit animal looked at the window. I followed it's gaze and wouldn't you know it, there was a blue jay and a blue butterfly on the window seal. They were faded too. I knew based on what happened in our pasts, what these spirit animals meant and who they represented. The deer, was me, the blue jay, Rachel and finally, Chloe was the butterfly. They all bore the same expression. Sorrow. Why? Why did they look like that? I thought... I thought we fixed everything!

Confused, hurt and angry, I stumbled back into the door frame and continued to stare at them. After what felt like an eternity, I heard Dana call to me from the bottom of the stairs. All it took was me looking away and telling her I'd be downstairs shortly for me to loose my focus. Due to that, the spirit animals started to disappear. The blue jay went first, then the butterfly but the deer walked right over to me and that's not the best part. Oh no. It got weirder. The deer, even as I felt myself disconnecting from the spiritual realm, if I can call it that? It turned into me and I saw a few things on the body that concerned me. There were needle holes in the neck but also, the haunting, angry expression I bore was very disturbing to look at. Why did I look so furious and upset? I couldn't bring myself to say anything, so I just stood there and blinked my eyes. Too shocked to do much of anything else. If I am the deer, who I am assuming, is a Max of a different timeline that is dead and able to communicate to me and look that upset... something went wrong somewhere. When I actually dared to touch the spirit of myself, our arms went out at the same time and our fingers grazed one another's briefly before she completely shattered into beautiful dust particles. In a blink of an eye, she was gone and a hand was on my shoulder, shaking me to my senses.

"Max, are you coming downstairs or not?"

Without looking to see who it was, I recognized who was speaking to me by the tone of their voice.

"Y-Yeah. I'm coming."

I slowly turned around and followed Dana out of the room, wondering if what I had seen was real or the side effects of the drugs and hallucinations of my mind. But if it was in my head and just a false image, why was I able touch and feel the coolness from the fingertips of the deer that appeared as me?


	18. Episode 18: Freeze

Rachel was right to ask Chloe to bring her extra clothes from the house. Max did wind up wanting to stay a few extra days with Victoria and the other Blackwell girls. Rachel was right there with her, camping out in Max's room the whole time. Rachel talked with some of the other housemates, but kept her conversations brief, limited and vague. Rachel wasn't exactly on good terms with everyone but thanks to Max's gentle encouragement, Rachel restored her broken relationships with the other girls she had wronged over the course of a few days. All except one.

Victoria.

Victoria didn't hate Rachel. Rachel didn't hate Victoria. They were rivals in several ways. Max just happened to be the only common ground they shared. Ever. Max was in a sensitive state with her recovering from the surgery and Victoria was always keeping a watchful eye on her, even when Rachel was right next to Max and helping taking care of her. One day, Max woke up in the late afternoon, dragged herself out of bed, down the hall and down the stairs and found the girls in the Gathering Hall. They were chilling throughout the room, each occupied with something or someone. Courtney was texting Juliet, despite sitting directly across from her, Taylor was giving Stella a pedicure, Dana was chatting softly with Kate and Brooke about her dance class and telling them that she had a good feeling about her dance partner and Alyssa was sitting beside Victoria on the couch, munching on some popcorn. The movie they were watching wasn't very exciting but it kept their attention. Smirking at the sight of them, Max ambled over and instantly, everyone stopped what they were doing and their curious eyes snapped over to Max. Max grinned slightly, amazed at how easily the girls yielded to her presence. When she first moved in, it wasn't that obvious. When she started having her anxiety attacks and everyone took shifts looking after her, that was when Max started to notice the tender, doting affection from everyone. Even distant types like Stella and Courtney. They truly came to enjoy her company and likewise, so did Max… which was why informing them about wanting to move back home, was going to be so hard. Rachel was not present when Max announced that she thought it was time for her to move out of Victoria's house and back into her own. She was upstairs, lounging lazily on Max's made bed, sipping on a cold soda in one hand and texting Frank and Damon in the other. Ironically, Rachel knew some of Frank's shady contacts and more amazingly enough, became good friends with them. Damon was scary and not someone Rachel took lightly, but his bad boy side is also what attracted Rachel to him and made her come back. When Frank didn't have anything to offer her, Damon was the next best drug dealer to contact to get some serious volume in stash.

* * *

 **Rachel:** Hey babe. You and Damon still planning to come to L.A. next week?

01/25/2014 3:30 PM

 **Frank:** Yes. But I told you, we can't risk showing up in your area of the city. If you want some of what we got, bring the money to the location I sent you and make sure you come alone. I mean it Rachel, no Chloe this time. Oh and, when you get to the drop off, make sure you stay by my side, 'alright? I almost lost you, I don't want to risk losing you again.

01/25/2014 3:30 PM

 **Damon:** But Chloe is one of us. She's loyal, dependable and always pays up… eventually. Admit it Frankie, you jus' don't want me to steal your girl out from under your feet. I'd think Chloe coming along with Rachel would be less competition for you.

01/25/2014 3:30 PM

 **Frank:** Dude! That has nothing to do with it! The area we're going to has the Rat Pack and Blood Gang. Chloe's seen some stuff in Arcadia Bay, but nothing like this. I can't have one my best collectors get killed when she opens that smartpunk mouth and says the wrong thing at the wrong time! And you're tripping balls if you think I'm afraid you'll steal Rachel. She has better taste in men than that.

01/25/2014 3:31 PM

 **Rachel:** I don't know Frank. I mean, we have an active sex life and warm fuzzies every now and then, but I wouldn't say being with you, is a result of my good tastes in "men". Frank, you have high quality drugs and you're clean with your stock and that is kind of what attracted me to you, not so much your looks. Although, Frank, you're cute but Damon is hot and his thrasher attitude is such a turn on… totally my scene and my type. Damon's right. Chloe is the least of your concerns. ;)

01/25/2014 3:31 PM

 **Damon:** Wow. Wasn't expecting such high praise from an Amber.

01/25/2014 3:31 PM

 **Frank:** WHAT!? Rachel! How could you?!

01/25/2014 3:32 PM

 **Rachel:** What? I go to the biggest, baddest of them all. XD That's why… I'm with Chloe and Max. And get this, they don't even come with the packaging you have Frank.

01/25/2014 3:32 PM

 **Frank:** I thought you said you weren't sleeping with them?

01/25/2014 3:32 PM

 **Damon:** ROFL!

01/25/2014 3:33 PM

 **Rachel:** I'm not. I was simply saying Chloe and Max are cooler and awesome and that's why I'm over here, with them and you're still in Arcadia Bay. Put it together Frank.

01/25/2014 3:33 PM

 **Frank:** I don't know if I want to!

01/25/2014 3:33 PM

 **Damon:** Frank your mistress is hysterical! Share! I've love to tap some of this spice.

01/25/2013 3:34 PM

 **Frank:** SCREW YOU DAMON!

01/25/2013 3:34 PM

* * *

Smirking, Rachel typed a few more replies to Frank, just to mess with him then go cut off by a incoming call from someone Rachel really didn't want to talk to. Pressing her lips firmly together, Rachel stared down at the caller I.D. on her screen, opting to hang up and go back to texting the drug dealers. She knew if she did that, she'd get hounded later for it so she went ahead and answered the call and hoped things wouldn't get too heated. With a heavy heart, Rachel quickly polished off the beer, set it down on the end table then reluctantly raised the iPhone to her ear.

"Hello?"

Rachel's tone was flat, void of emotion. It was so obvious, the person on the receiving end cringed.

 _"You sound optimistic Rachel."_

Rachel propped herself up on one elbow and idly began to play with a strand of her hair.

"It's _you_ dad. What's there to get excited about?"

James sighed deeply into the phone.

 _"Your resistant attitude is only going to make what I have to say worse."_

Rachel looked up at the ceiling as if to beg for patience.

"Dad, you have 50 seconds to say whatever is is you need to say before I hang up on you."

 _"Rachel, I'm going to need more than 50 seconds."_

"You're wasting time telling me you don't have time so if I were you, I'd start talking."

James cleared his throat and even though Rachel couldn't see his face, she could feel his frown of disapproval for her demands.

 _"All right then. Have it your way. Rose is having a baby but I'm not the father, but since your mother is divorcing me, Rose and I decided we would-"_

"You know what?"

Rachel growled, cutting him off.

"I changed my mind. I really don't want to listen to you."

James panicked. He really needed Rachel to listen to him but all it took for Rachel to shut him down, was Rose, baby, divorce one sentence. So what if the baby wasn't his? To Rachel, James turning around and going to hook up with Rose before the divorce was finalized, was just as bad and lowly of him. He was settling for the next best thing instead of working on trying to repair the damage he has caused in his current marriage. Reason 4 and why Rachel couldn't stand the thought of listening to anything Jamed had to say.

"Go burn and die."

Rachel said these words with venom and with every intention to make James feel terrible but instead, she was the one who wound of feeling miserable. No longer in the mood to socialize, Rachel said a hurried goodbye text to Frank and Damon, then she called Chloe and asked her to drive over to Victoria's to pick her up.

 _"Uhh, sure thing Rachel. You okay? You sound kinda… upset."_

Rachel balanced the iPhone against her ear with one hand and used the other to gather up her belongings into her duffel bag.

"Sure."

Came the short remark.

"I'm _awesome_. Just _wonderful_."

Chloe didn't believe Rachel. Not completely. Her tone suggested otherwise but Chloe would worry about that later. For now, she felt like she just needed to go pick Rachel up and bring her home.

 _"I'm headed that way. Is uh, Max coming too or…?"_

Rachel shoved the last of her clothes into the duffel bag zipped it shut then with little effort, tossed the duffel bag on the bed behind her.

"I don't know! And I really don't care. If she wants to come home, she's more than welcome if not, she can stay here with Victoria."

Chloe blinked, jarred by Rachel's harsh response.

 _"Dude. What happened? Did Victoria-"_

Rachel let out a loud, frustrated cry, not even worried if someone heard her go off.

"Victoria didn't do anything, okay?! Just hurry up and come get me! Is that so hard to do Chloe?! All I want is for you to do is come here, pick me up and take me home! A, B, C. 1, 2, 3. Is that too hard for the scientist in you to calculate?! And before you ask, no! I'm not having a good day! Not anymore so maybe if you're going to be sensitive to my needs, you'll think to stop by DQ and pick me up something to eat! Why do that when we have food at home you might ask?!"

 _"I wasn't gonna as-"_

"Don't question me!"

Rachel snapped, whirling around and storming over to the window so she could glare outside of it.

"Just… Just get over here! With the food, and make sure it's a large combo! You always get my orders wrong! And I'm sick of it!"

Chloe struggled to get out what she wanted to say, for she was slightly overwhelmed at the intensity of Rachel's backlash.

 _"I-I don't… okay, sure thing Rachel. I'll be there soon. I just-"_

The loud click and the dial tone told Chloe all too well, what Rachel had done and she stood there, frozen in place, right there in the middle of the kitchen, unsure of what just happened. Chloe lowered smartphone away from her ear and stared down at the caller screen in disbelief, jaw dropped, eyebrow raised in wonder with one squinted eye. Rachel's actions weren't making any sense to Chloe but knew Rachel didn't just explode over nothing. Whatever got her riled up, it was pretty bad and usually when Rachel got this emotional, she tended to want to go out and get drunk or stay home and get drunk. Either avenue, Rachel wasn't going to be sober later. Chloe was sure of it.

 _Oooookaaaay. Someone is really miffed on their period for sure today. God why? Why did you give me such a moody, sassy soulmate? Max is an angel on period. Her periods are chill, she never yells at me unless I do something really stupid or annoying, she doesn't demand attention and she doesn't get all overly emotional over something I do right or do wrong. But Rachel? She's hella cray cray. What, is this like, punishment for my rebellion? If so, bruh can we talk this out? I'll repent, I'll even go to church with Kate Marsh if it might mean Rachel backs off on her periods._

Blinking confused eyes, Chloe stuffed her smartphone into her leather jacket's pocket and hurried outside to her Dart, anxious to get to Rachel and bring her home so she could get to the bottom of Rachel's frustration.

* * *

The girls took the news fairly well and were glad that Max had finally gotten to the point that she could leave the manor in peace. Whether they were really close to Max or mere acquaintances with her, they all desired her happiness so saying goodbye didn't really bother them. Victoria reacted differently. She sat on the couch, crossed legged with a hard expression on her face. She observed the action, taking careful note of how Rachel moodily came down the stairs and remained standing off in the background, back pressed against the wall near the front door.

 _Hmm. Did Rachel have something to do with this?_

Victoria frowned, glanced at Max's calm face, her smile, listened to her laugh at one of Brooke's off the wall jokes then snapped her eyes back over to Rachel. Rachel met Victoria's stare and raised her eyebrow, silently challenging her to do something. Not about to lose to Rachel in her own home, Victoria got up off the couch and stealthily made her way around the group, through the archway and over to where Rachel was standing by the front door.

"So Max says she's leaving."

Rachel shrugged.

"Yeah? And?"

Victoria tilted her head just slightly to the side and her eyes gradually narrowed in motion with Rachel's. Clearly, each alpha queen was reading between the lines and neither girl was willing to admit Max was the reason they were about to get into a argument.

"Rachel, I don't know what game you're playing with Max but-"

"Game?"

Rachel echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Game."

Victoria inserted firmly and in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"But I just want you to know, if you think you can spend a few nights with her here, in front of us and then go back to your cozy little studio and return to old habits, not only will you lose Max again…"

Victoria leaned in, putting her and Rachel nose-to-nose.

"But you will also lose any rights to come into this place if Max comes running back to me. Meaning, I will call the law and have them escort you off the property. I hope-"

Victoria paused, gave Rachel a quick once-over with her eyes, refusing to hide her disgust.

"That you take my warning seriously because quite frankly, I don't believe you're sorry for all the crama you put Max through."

Victoria gestured at the commotion going on behind them then back at Rachel.

"I also think you put on a fancy show, knowing Max would show compassion. Bonus? She's going home, something I'm sure you took into careful consideration when you performed in privacy of my bedroom when I wasn't there."

Rachel's other eyebrow climbed up beside the other and she arched her neck back in shock.

"And what is it, that you think was said between us Victoria? Not that it's any of your business…"

Victoria rolled her eyes then pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, amazed at Rachel's lack of awareness to her own devices. Rachel was so good at playing people, she couldn't see what she was doing to Max. That is what Victoria believed and it was slowly dawning on Rachel that's what it was and it made her all the more angry. So upset was she, Rachel had to clench her jawline and force herself to keep quiet, for Max's sake and anyone else who might listen in.

"I think you tickled her ears with sweet nothings and empty promises so you could get her back. Because I'm telling you right now, a mere 60 seconds shouldn't of been enough to win her over. So whatever you told her, must of sounded great but you can't fool me. You never have fooled me. Your so called soulmate friendship and agape love for her, is just another mask you're using to get what you want."

Victoria glared harder at Rachel, daring her to say something in contrast to her accusation. Much to Victoria's disappointment, Rachel didn't fight back, nor did she establish her true intentions. Why should she? Victoria had already made up her mind about her and Rachel couldn't blame Victoria for thinking like that. She had played everyone at Blackwell for years and then some. Atoning for her wrongs, outside of Chloe and Max, was going to take time. Time and careful planning, two things Rachel didn't want to put in the effort for. Not right now. There was too much on her mind for her to attempt to mend bridges with those like Victoria Chase.

"You know what Victoria?"

Rachel muttered, crossing her arms.

"Screw you. You don't know me, you don't know what was said that day in the bedroom and honestly? It didn't concern you. I only care about two people's opinions. Chloe and Max, and you are neither of them. So, can we please drop this? Go bark at someone else's tree for a change. I'm not in the mood to deal with you and my personal issues right now, Victoria."

It took every ounce of self-control for Rachel to smile politely and keep her tone respectful when she spoke back to Victoria. Not even close to being done with her, Victoria opened her mouth and was just about to say something offensive when Max ambled over to see what they were doing. Both teens frowned and glanced at Max and they noticed how she was giving them that "look" again. The look that told them she knew they were arguing and talking about her and needed to stop before she got upset. Ashamed of their subtle dogfight to each other, Rachel rubbed her neck guiltily and glanced away from Victoria to find something else to stare at. Victoria did the same by turning completely around and returning to her spot on the couch in the Gathering Hall. With stern eyes, Max watched Victoria leave then stepped closer to Rachel.

"Let it go."

Rachel whipped her head back around and gave Max a symbolic look of her own. The one that Max tended to cower under. However, since living with Victoria, Max had grown a little bit more of a backbone and Rachel's intimidation methods were not nearly as strong like they had been in the past.

"Did you call Chloe?"

Rachel nodded.

"Yeah. She'll be over soon."

Max offered her arm out to Rachel and replaced her serious expression for a softer one.

"Want to come help me pack?"

Rachel hesitated then she gradually reached out and looped her arm with Max's and pulled her into her side.

"I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

The next couple of weeks went by smoothly. Max continued to take her medication and take things easy. Chloe and Rachel wouldn't let her over exert herself anyway. If they suspected Max was about to do that, they would force her to stop working on her schoolwork and go to bed. Schoolwork wasn't impossible for Max, but it was time consuming. There were many times over the course of those weeks, she sought out Rachel for tutoring. Chloe chipped in too, eager to help Max when she could. work on her make up assignments and with the help of her roommates, she caught up. The photography assignment was easy compared to some of the other subjects Max had to learn. Out of all the classes max had, Chloe was thrilled to see Max pursuing her passion for taking photos.

When Max wasn't working on her school work or her end of the month photo assignment with Chloe, Max was either found eating or sleeping. This routine, repeated itself until Max's medication cycle was completed and her doctors confirmed she was good to go. She still needed to be careful and mind herself, but overall, Max's recovery was firm, solid and doable. She returned to school, right around the end of January when her photo assignment was due. Come by the middle of February, Rachel wanted to take Max and Chloe out to party on whim at a rave club uptown. Under most circumstances, Max would be open to the suggestion but with her still trying to adjust back to normal everyday activities without feeling the lag in her body, Max didn't want to risk pushing herself. Just because she was better and off her medication, didn't mean her body was fully functional. However, she was no longer having anxiety attacks, vomiting at random or experiencing fever flashes. Rachel on the other hand, tended to still have fever episodes, but they weren't nearly as powerful like they had been in the alternate reality. Neither teen could find answers to the fevers Rachel still experienced or explain why Max didn't have them anymore. They took their blessings and lived their lives as usual. And part of the way Rachel Amber lived her normal life, was taking time aside to party it up on the weekend. Or on the days she didn't have classes.

"Come on, Max! It'll be fun!"

Chloe and Max stood side by side, had their arms crossed and shared a knowing look. They had heard that punchline before and someone always winded up drunk at a hotel or drunk and being driven home.

"I dunno, Rachel. Max hasn't touched a drop of alcohol since she was in the hospital. Shouldn't we like, start small? Build her back up to it?"

Max glanced at Chloe then back at Rachel's beaming face.

 _Wowser. She is really pumped to go out tonight. I can already see it in her eyes._

"Guys! We've been through so much in the past year, don't you think it's about time we treated ourselves out for once?"

The stubbornness on her soulmates faces only motivated Rachel to sway them harder.

"Chloe! Max! What would it take to convince you guys that we deserve to have this moment? To have some fun! Chloe has a new job as a bartender, Max's grades have improved drastically since I started helping her out more, and I'm flawless as always. What's holding us back? Nothing that I can see. Oh yeah, bonus shocker, the curse hasn't bothered us very much. Now tell me that ain't worth raising shots over?"

Chloe shook her head slightly, but her cautious expression was already starting to break under Rachel's demanding presence.

"Rachel it's not that I don't want to go clubbing with you or see your point. I do. But didn't we agree, to kinda... "

Chloe made quotations with her fingers.

" 'Not' do the things that got us in trouble with Max? Didn't we want to consider her feelings and desires above our own?"

Rachel threw her arms up in frustration.

"What? Of course and I remember talking about it like it was yesterday. But I haven't drank or gotten blazed all this time. Have I?"

Chloe and Max opened their mouths instinctively to correct Rachel, then closed them, realizing that Rachel had spoken the truth. She hadn't drank or toked up at all since Max had moved back in. In fact, Rachel had gone the extra mile and behaved herself so much, it was like she was a completely different person. Something neither teen took for granted but at the same time, they also knew Rachel had a love for weed and booze.

"What do I have to do? I won't feel right going out if you guys don't approve, even if it's by myself."

Chloe face palmed.

"Dude. Rachel. Don't do that."

Rachel's eyes widened in shock.

"Do what?"

Chloe pointed at her and moved away from Max so she could go sit down on the couch.

"Guilt trip."

Rachel blinked, taken aback at the remark.

"What? No. I'm being serious. I won't feel right about it…"

Sighing, Max went over to Rachel and took her hands into hers.

"Okay Rachel. We can go out."

"Max! Think about this! You know how she gets when lit!"

Chloe's words of caution were appreciated, but not needed. Max had made up her mind and decided since Rachel had physically fallen through with her actions and was doing her best to show them she wanted to change, Max felt like going out to enjoy themselves would be all right.

"But on _one_ condition."

Rachel's ears perked up and she was thinking that Max wanted to invite some of the cool college kids along with them. Such as Davis or Dutch. Despite his prank and physically getting in a brawl with him, Rachel and Dutch still considered each other friends, just at a cautious distance.

"Victoria has to come with us. No one else. Just you, me, Chloe and her."

Max saw Rachel's face drop and felt the way Rachel's hands tense in hers.

"That's all right with you, _right_?"

The sharp, motherly like tone Max used, made Rachel feel like she was being pushed up against a spiky wall with no means to escape. She didn't like it but she also didn't like the idea of upsetting Max either. Like Chloe said, they were supposed to consider Max's desires, likes, needs, etc. over their own. Even if that included Victoria Chase.

"I…"

Rachel bowed her head and released a long, shaky sigh.

"I understand. That will be fine."

Max let go of Rachel's hands, lost her serious expression and smiled at Rachel, pleased to see that she was going to allow her request.

"Okay. It's settled then. Let me go change clothes, call Victoria and we'll meet her at the club you want to go to."

Rachel sighed and watched Max scamper off to her bedroom. She waited until Max was safely inside before groaning and running a hand through her hair. Hearing her wail of despair, Chloe laughed from where she sat and propped her legs up on the glass coffee table.

"This is gonna be great. A night on the town with you, me, Max and your beloved rival."

Rachel went over to the couch, stood at the arm of it and glanced down at Chloe. She was uncomfortable with the idea of Victoria coming and it showed on her face. Seeing how Rachel's misery only made Chloe laugh harder.

"This isn't funny Chloe."

Chloe regained her composure, wiped a slight tear from her eye and cheerfully remarked up to her,

"Oh. Yes. It. Is. 50 bucks says before tomorrow, we'll all be drunk and Victoria will be our caretaker."

Rachel eased down onto Chloe's lap and draped her arms around her neck. Grinning, Chloe rested her hands on Rachel's waist and started to massage her out of habit.

"And why would I agree to this bet, Price? What do I get out of it?"

Chloe's eyebrows arched up and down mischievously.

"Simple. If you get drunk enough, I know you. I know what happens later on. You'll puke all over the place. Maybe that place will be on Victoria?"

As gross as the concept was, Rachel laughed about and found herself leaning into Chloe. She took hold her face and ebbed the tip of her nose playfully.

"And if I don't throw up on her?"

"Then… you get the 50 bucks and I'll do your laundry for a day and a half."

Chloe brushed her lips over Rachel's cheek then eased back into the cushion of the couch, very content with her terms.

"Half a day, Price? That's a rip off."

Chloe shrugged then suddenly wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist and pulled her closer. Rachel wasn't ready for it, so she gasped and in order to keep her balance, she latched onto Chloe's forearms.

"Do I look, like someone who takes manual labor seriously? I blame you for my laziness. This rich life of comfort and pleasure really takes the wild outta a country girl."

Rachel arched an eyebrow but said nothing. She settled for resting against Chloe and enjoying the peace and tranquility of the atmosphere until Max emerged from the bedroom and told them she was ready to go.

* * *

As expected and planned, Victoria met up with the other three and joined them for the night. Victoria was thrilled Max wanted to go out and club. Not so thrilled when she saw Rachel get out of the car with Max. Chloe wasn't really in Victoria's line of fire. It was just Rachel. At least they didn't have to address each other unless spoken to. Plus Max was present. Neither girl wanted to upset her so when it boiled down to making small talk, Rachel and Victoria kept it simple, courteous and polite. The outing wasn't a total disaster. Prior to ordering food and getting their drinks, Victoria actually put in some genuine effort to learn more about the group as whole, wanted to openly learn more about the curse, etc. This surprised the other teens but didn't upset them. Max was the one, who updated Victoria the most, as Chloe and Rachel were having a drinking contest with each other and didn't really want to stop. Later on into the night, Rachel lost control, not that it came as shock to Victoria but Max getting lit, was not expected. Max only wanted a few shots, two beers at the most. Somewhere between shot number 3 and beer one, Chloe spiked Max's drinks without shame, forgetting about the policy she and Rachel agreed to do. Chloe didn't mean to do it, she was under the influence and it simply slipped her mind. Rachel was heavily entertained by the gents in the club. She made out with several of them but did not have sex with them.

That much, she somehow managed to remember not to do. Chloe found a few guys to play with but in the end, she found their booth and sat down beside Max, opposite of Victoria. Victoria didn't drink a lot for she had a gut sinking feeling something like this would happen. She just wished Max wasn't a victim of it all. Then again, Max wasn't really a victim if she was also willing to kiss some of the guys who found them. Of course, Victoria tried to run them off but Chloe cheered the men on and strongly encouraged Max to taste the wild side to pleasure. Max, ridiculously intoxicated and giggly, listened to who? Victoria? The voice of reason? No. She listened to Chloe and wound up pushed down on another table with one guy, a wall with two others and finally, a shorter young man who went to the same college as she did. Victoria didn't bother to keep after Rachel or Chloe. She did keep a close eye on Max though. Max, from what she could tell, was enjoying herself but at the same time, Victoria knew Max didn't just go around kissing strangers. This whole night was just a direct result of Rachel's desire to have fun. Victoria was sure of it. And tomorrow morning, when the three of them woke up with horrible hangovers, Victoria was going to tear into Rachel and then some. Or Chloe. It all depended on who woke up first.

Several tipsy hours later, Victoria had to get some of the bouncers to help her carry her friends across the street, into the hotel building and up the three flights of stairs. The bouncers didn't leave Victoria until she paid them their tip and because it was Victoria, she gave them a hefty amount to take home. Nodding their approval, the bouncers left Victoria alone in the hotel room with her friends and returned to the bar across the street. Sighing, Victoria glanced over at the king sized bed where Chloe, Rachel and Max were at. All of them were flushed in the face from their consumption of liquor, all of them had dreamy expressions on their faces and all of them were tangled up with each other and snoring in sync. Victoria literally couldn't even, begin to define how disturbed and borderline impressed she was at the sight of them.

"It's such a good thing Max asked me to come along. They owe me big time."

Victoria sat down in the leather chair, leg crossed over the other, fist pressed into her cheek. She wagged her foot from side to side, thinking about what all had transpired in the past few hours.

"Honestly. I don't even know where to start. I suppose, it will just have to wait until they wake up. But no matter what goes down tomorrow, I'm not leaving until one of them reimburse me for the damage. This hotel is pricey and my money could go towards so many better things…"

Was the last thing Victoria muttered to herself before feeling her eyelids get heavy and shut against her will.

* * *

The sunlight pouring into the hotel room bathed over the three bodies sprawled out on the bed. Chloe was on the far right, facing a window. Rachel was snuggled in behind Chloe, mouth parted against the base of her neck and one arm draped protectively over her soulmate's waist. Her warm puffy breathes tickled Chloe's skin but she was in such a deep sleep, she scarcely noticed it. Max was on the far left, on her back; One arm was nestled comfortably on her stomach while the other dangled lazily over the side of the bed. All three were flushed in the face and partly down around their necks from the alcohol they had consumed. Their overall appearance was sloppy, unkempt yet somehow, the three of them still looked gorgeous to Victoria.

Arching an eyebrow, Victoria stood up from the lounge chair she slept in during the night and gave the three women a light shaking of her head.

"Unbelievable. This is why I wanted to stay at my place and party. But noooo. Rachel wanted to go downtown!"

Victoria didn't mean to, but she raised her voice and caused Rachel to jerk in her sleep. Max remained unaffected, but Chloe felt Rachel shift behind her.

"I thought she was better?"

Victoria mumbled, going over to the window near the dresser.

"Clearly she's still the same drunk she's always been. I swear, Rachel is so selfish. Telling Max she's sorry, that she loves her sooooo much. Pfft. What ifs. Rachel played Max like a harp and she'll keep doing it until she tires of it. Some soulmate Rachel's turning out to be..."

Victoria glared at the black raven on the branch that was looking directly into the hotel room. Frowning, she tapped on the glass, attempting to scare the raven off. The raven cawed softly one time, then with a powerful flap of his wings, launched off the branch and into the air, no longer interested in what was going on in the hotel room.

"Stupid bird."

Victoria turned away from the window and trailed her eyes back over to the bed. She blinked, then frowned seeing Chloe staring right at her.

"Surely you can find something better to gawk at, Price. But if you really want to stare, take a photo."

"And surely you can find something better to talk about than how 'terrible' Rachel is."

Victoria crossed her arms and tilted her head to the right, pinning Choe with her icy glare.

"Chloe, I'm sorry that you have you and Max are blinded by Rachel's drama, that you can't handle the truth about little miss perfect in your arms. Max may have moved back in with you guys and sure, Rachel apologized. But a true friend who really is committed to change, would actually stop doing the things that got Max to move out in the first place."

Victoria gestured at Chloe and all of her hung over glory.

"You should know how awful Rachel can be when out of control. You were with her the entire time Max was gone. I find it ironic on your part that you kept claiming that you didn't contribute to Max leaving yet… you let Rachel do whatever Rachel wanted to do. Sounds like Rachel has you beguiled _Ariel_ , and you truly are her enslaved servant for all eternity, doing her bidding at every snap of her finger."

Chloe knew what Victoria was referring to and the reference didn't help Chloe's foul mood. At all.

"We have _friendships_ , not _ownerships_ , but I wouldn't expect you to understand."

Victoria threw her head back and laughed. Chloe could hear the irony ringing in Victoria's laughter and it made her mad. She wanted to throw back the covers, walk up to Victoria and deck her but she didn't do that. Rachel was nestled happily in her arms and still sleeping. So was Max. The last thing Chloe wanted to do, was add to the problem.

"That catchphrase again? Price, please. Are you that dense? Rachel is so selfish and possessive of people, it's not even funny. She couldn't handle Max being gone so she acted out until Max couldn't take it anymore. Then she comes over to my place and is all, "Baby, I'm so sorry. Come back home with me?" and of course Max's compassion out weighed her logic and by the end of the week, Max moves back into the studio. Friendship you say?"

Victoria scoffed lightly and glanced pointedly in the opposite direction.

"What friendship? I just see two desperate people who can't get their crap together and leech off of Max when it's convenient for them. If Rachel truly loved and respected Max, why did she insist to take her drinking when Max made it clear she didn't want to go out and stay at my place with the girls?"

Chloe opened her mouth but Victoria waved her hand to the side, cutting her off.

"Rachel overthrew what Max wanted in that situation, said all the right words, buttered her up then got Max out of the house, away from me. I went, to spite Rachel and to keep an eye on things. Furthermore, Max said she would only drink a little. Rachel encouraged her to drink more and what were you doing while this was going on? Making out with some guy and his brother!"

Victoria pressed on, blinded by her anger. She had kept everything inside for so long, it actually felt good to let it all out.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but maybe, just maybe if Rachel were out of the picture, Max's life wouldn't be so chaotic. You alone, gave her stress. Her journal entry was proof of that but rather than let you die, she spared you. Rather than let Rachel stay dead, you two found a way to bring her back. Does this really, sound like a friendship?! I don't treat my friends like this! So why does Rachel get to bash Max? Why are you okay with this Price?!"

"You aren't Max, you don't know what's best for her. Sometimes, even I don't. You don't know what she's been through, and you have no right to say otherwise."

Chloe kept her voice low and controlled so she wouldn't disturb the other women on the bed.

"Also, you have to know the full story before you can just insult mine and Max's soulmate. Get your facts in order, Chase."

Victoria narrowed her eyes.

"How long?"

She whispered fiercely, slowly stalking towards the head of the bed.

"Are you going to keep making excuses for Rachel, Chloe? Rachel is a user. Always has been, always will be. I used to be jealous of her but you know what? After seeing up close, in action all these months in L.A, I am embarrassed at how I used to aspire to be as popular and perfect like her. Time power or not, D.A.'s daughter or not, Rachel is third rate. Note I didn't say second, I said third. Her obsession with Max is concerning but your inability to address it and constantly babying the wrench, is far worse. My facts are so clear, it's blinding. You and Rachel are the facts. Max is a victim and she deserves better soulmates. There. I said. I finally said it and you know what? It felt great. Want to know what else?"

Victoria dipped her head and leaned in close by Chloe's face, resting her lips by her ear.

"Max must of felt the same way, because she left. Max can say she left to prove a point all she wants but it was pretty obvious to me and the girls at the manor, that Max had grown tired of Rachel's hipster drama and possibly, having the responsibility of making sure to keep you both alive all the time."

Victoria delighted in hearing Chloe catch her hear breath and she leaned away from Chloe's ear as Chloe glanced up at her, jaw slightly open. Victoria blinked, noting how Chloe instinctively hugged Rachel closer. Chloe didn't mean to do that but hearing Victoria say such cruel things made Chloe feel irrationally protective over Rachel.

"You just wish you were half the person Rachel is. Admit it."

Victoria stepped back and shot Chloe such a dirty look.

"I will admit to nothing except the truth. I just said I used to be jealous of her I'm totally over it and I pity Max more than ever. You two deserve each other but Max deserves better."

"There it is again, 'Max deserves better'. You really don't know anything, do you?"

Victoria raised her voice, not caring if she woke Rachel or Max up.

"Because it's true! And I know a lot more you and Rachel give me credit for! She let me read her diary, the whole thing while she was living with me. Did you she tell you that?"

Victoria cupped her face and faked her shock.

"What's that you say? Why, no Victoria, Max didn't tell us she let you get so close that you had access to her ultimate secrets. Not only did she let me read the diary, she admitted she felt smothered by always having to carry the knowledge of what she did in the alternate realities and actually asked me if she truly did the right thing by sacrificing Arcadia Bay for you and the drunk whore!"

Victoria crossed her arms and shook her head, disgusted at how Chloe couldn't see the neon lights going off.

"Don't you get it Chloe? Max regrets what she did because the burden was killing her. It still kills her. Her brain almost exploded! Tell me, what have you and Rachel does for her since moving here to L.A. huh?! What sacrifices have you two made to show her, she made the right choice?"

The silence that followed was exactly what Victoria wanted so she could prove a point.

"Yeah. See? That's what I thought. At least I'm trying to give her a normal setting, finding out what pleases her and knowing when to back off and give her space. You and Rachel have been at this a lot longer than I have, so why haven't you made her feel special yet? Is it going to take another storm and being Mark Jefferson's posers for you to realize just how much crap you two have put her through?!"

The last part might of been a little harsh and uncalled for but victoria didn't think so. She was actually wanting Chloe to see, what she saw and what their peers saw.

"Did I ask for all of this to happen to her?! No. Stop acting like this is our fault when reality is, it wasn't mine, or Rachel's, decision."

Victoria stared at Chloe in disbelief. Part of her wanted to smack some sense into the Chloe, the other part wanted to walk away and let her figure it out.

"Stop avoiding the problem!"

She quipped back.

"Are you listening to anything I've said this whole time?! First, you insist I'm jealous of Rachel and I told you plainly that I wasn't. Then, I asked you, how have you and Rachel shown Max she made the right choice. You danced around answering me. So then, I pointed out how much Rachel is in the wrong and you let that go too. Shocker!"

Victoria motioned between Chloe and herself.

"I thought for sure you'd have a solid answer for showing Max how you care. Nope! But what really gets me, is how I also asked you, why do you keep making sorry excuses for Rachel's behavior but instead of saying why, you defend her?"

Victoria shrugged and glanced over at Max, who was still sleeping. Her features softened as she gazed at her but once her eyes found Chloe's face again, she tensed up all over again.

"Chloe, you have deliberately dodged those questions so that tells me a lot right there. You're lucky I don't persuade Max to move back in."

"So, what, are you a detective now? It's a free country, Chase, I don't have to answer anything."

"You may not have to answer to me, but you will have to answer Max. See, all the questions I asked you, Max asked of me. She wanted to know why, she wanted answers I couldn't give her. So be ready to answer her, Chloe. If you can."

Victoria backed up, turned around then made a swift beeline for the door.

"I'm going to get some ice, for her royal highness over there who I'm sure will have a massive headache. She did drink the hardest last night…"

Victoria jerked the handle open and stepped out into the hallway. Chloe waited for the door to close before releasing the shaky sigh she had been holding in. It was at that moment Rachel opened her eyes halfway and softly called out to Chloe.

"Chloe… maybe she's right… I mean, if Victoria told us the truth and that's how Max feels…"

Rachel trailed off and Chloe blinked open her sleepy eyes hearing the broken sob fall from Rachel's lips.

"You heard that? Rachel, this isn't your fault, really. Everything is fine, calm down, I've got you."

"But... But… I really haven't done much to show Max things are different. Max didn't tell us she let Victoria read the diary, she didn't present those questions to us but confined in Victoria?"

Rachel buried her face into the crook of Chloe's neck and clutched at Chloe's forearms.

"I'm a horrible person! Even after everything I told Max, I couldn't wait to party it up with her. I thought it would be okay, if we all went to celebrate but things got… a little crazy and now Victoria thinks I'm abusing Max, overlooking Max's needs and only concerned about my own. Chloe, what if I am? What if Victoria is right and I've just been doing this for so long that I can't even tell the difference anymore? What if-"

Chloe shook her head and spoke a little louder than intended.

"Screw all of that, okay?! It doesn't matter what _Victoria_ thinks, because we know that you aren't 'abusing' Max, or even me for that matter. We both love you unconditionally, Rachel."

Rachel kept her face buried in Chloe's neck and the moment Chloe felt Rachel's warm tears hit her skin and the way she clung to her out of desperation, Chloe snapped. She straight out, lost it and wanted to get vengeance. At the most, restore Rachel's honor. And she would. Later on, after they checked out of the hotel and were officially home, Chloe would wait until her roommates were distracted with something or asleep before going to confront Victoria one-on-one.

"Chloe no. I know what you're thinking and it's a bad idea."

"No it's not. It's a great idea."

Rachel sniffed softly then brought her head out from underneath Chloe's chin. Rachel smiled through her tears as she cupped Chloe's face with her hands and stroked her skin.

"Just… love me like you always do. That's what I need right now. Please?"

Gradually, Chloe's eyes softened. Nodding slowly, she pressed forward and bumped for forehead into Rachel's. Rachel dropped her hands from Chloe's face when Chloe drew her closer in her arms. Chloe rubbed the tip of her nose into Rachel's, making her giggled a little. They stared into each other's eyes for a while but their moment was ruined when Max sprung on Rachel without warning and latched onto her back. The extra weight of Max pressing into Rachel, crushed Chloe and she let out a startled gasp but Rachel grunted loudly and didn't find Max's tackle cute at all. She was in the middle of cherishing Chloe then got blind sided. Gravely annoyed, Rachel she whipped her head around to look at the other teen sprawled on her backside.

"You two sure know how to make a girl feel special."

Chloe blinked and Rachel scoffed.

"We do?"

"She's being smart, Chloe…"

Rachel offered, then playfully shoved Max's face away from hers. Max defied the gesture and kissed the inside of Rachel's palm and instantly, Rachel's features softened. Content that she had her soulmates undivided attention, Max continued her argument.

"I wake up to the sound of Rachel crying and Vi is gone. I put two and two together but we can worry about that later. I want to know what all happened last night after I got… drunk."

The opportunity arose and Chloe took the bait. Grinning, Chloe leaned past Rachel's face and moved her lips to hover by Max's. There she whispered in a playful voice,

"You lost your virginity to Warren and I was there, filming the whole thing on camera."

As Chloe pulled back to bask in her triumph, Max and Rachel deadpanned at the remark and gave Chloe unimpressed, blank stares.

"What?"

Rachel and Max rolled their eyes, then they grinned too, unable to stay mad.

"She's awful, isn't she?"

Rachel asked, allowing Max to get comfortable on her back. Stretching out, Max nestled happily on Rachel then lowered her mouth down to Rachel's cheek. She pressed her lips against the warm skin, letting her lips linger for a moment then briskly interjected,

"Not as bad as you."

Raising an eyebrow, Rachel turned around under Max and gently kicked Max off of her. Just as Max was recovering from being removed from her nest, Rachel tackled Max off the bed and onto the floor. Max looked up at her, unamused. Rachel just smiled and pinned her down all the way. A mischievous glint in her eyes, Max slowly reached up and tickled her sides. Chloe's grin grew hearing Rachel's adorable squeals.

"Say mercy?"

Max offered, her fingers dancing skillfully across Rachel's tummy and back around her sides. Of course Rachel being the competitive type, refused to give in. Max's smile lessened and she decided to tickle Rachel a little harder and faster.

"I said, mercy, Amber! Can't you let me win for once?"

Rachel fought against Max's greedy advancements only to be overwhelmed by the unexpected invasion of Chloe's hands. Now both girls were on top of Rachel and forcing her to submit to their demands.

"Consider this payback for getting our art school hipster drunk last night."

Alarmed, Rachel threw her head back and tried to yell her frustration but all that came out was more giggles and gasps for air.

"What the what? Chloe, you helped get Max drunk. You gave her three shots of spiked Vodka! How am I the only culprit here?"

Hearing this, Max seized in tickling Rachel and raised her arms slowly, knowing Chloe could see her out of the corner of her eyes.

"Oh snap. That's right, Chloe. You did help get me drunk. It's all coming back to me now."

Because Chloe stopped tickling Rachel to look at Max, it gave Rachel a opening.

"Uhhh… hey, we're all friends here right? I may of helped, but Rachel was the one who finished it up, got you to take your shirt off and dance on the table."

Max was literally about to dive her fingers into Chloe's side but froze when she heard that.

"She did what?"

Max sounded absolutely bewildered. Blinking rapidly, Max glanced down at Rachel and was about to inquire of Rachel to see if Chloe was telling the truth, when Chloe let out a yelp and was fighting off Rachel's hands. Not about to be ignored, Max wiggled her way between the two, demanding to be answered. Rachel and Chloe shared a wolfish grin, set their eyes on Max and answered her with their hands. Rachel tickled Max, Chloe put Max in a gentle headlock and gave her a noogie to remember. They were legitly hung over, their heads were pounding, their stomachs didn't feel the greatest but they were having so much fun fellowshipping with each other, neither girl scarcely noticed their physical discomforts. Eventually, Victoria came back with the pitcher of ice and the girls untangled themselves. Prior to Victoria pouring three glasses of ice cold water, she handed them a glass, stepped back and waited for them to take a drink. Chloe remained standing as she sipped on the water, Rachel and Max sat down on the edge of bed. Victoria crossed her arms and fixated her gaze on Max specifically.

"So. Max. I got a question for you."

"Oh? What is it?"

Max asked, lowering the rim of the glass down from her lips so she could speak to Victoria properly.

Victoria was aware what she was about to say next, would nicely change the entire mood and probably startle the three of them but last night… at the bar… something weird happened. Something that Victoria almost forgot until she poured the water and collected ice. Taking a deep breath, she arched an eyebrow and her stare intensified. Max became slightly uncomfortable but didn't say anything. She just waited for Victoria to go on.

"When this guy came over to you and tried to make… um… unwanted advancements on you, you got mad. I mean, so mad you got blood red in the face."

Rachel lowered her glass, intrigued to learn about what happened. Chloe did the same and turned to face Victoria. Sure she was miffed at her for what she said earlier but currently, whatever Victoria was getting at sounded important and she, like Rachel and Max, wanted Victoria to explain.

"Me, being the caring friend that I am, saw it from the table, got up, went over to where you all were at and I attempted to get him to back off. Well, he didn't like."

The heavy silence was so thick, Victoria could have sliced it with a knife. Clearly, the other girls were listening hard to her and that g ave Victoria a strange sense of happiness.

"So anyway, he pulls out a switchblade and you didn't get scared like I thought you would have. You…"

Victoria trailed off and cleared her throat, almost finding it difficult to describe what Max did last night because it was so out of character for her. But, it was the facts and hopefully once she brought the news to Max's attention, Max might remember and be able to shed some light on the situation.

"You got mad. Really, really mad. You told him to back off and go away."

Victoria gestured at the air, to emphasize her point,.

"He didn't listen. Well… if I remember this correctly, as he shoved you into a table, he went back to harassing me. And and Chloe and Rachel, by the way, were nowhere to be found when this went down. Just saying. Um, anyway. The table you were on, had two mugs of water on it. I thought maybe you had passed out, because you were laying on it and not moving…"

Victoria pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. Max was actually starting to get creeped out. Victoria pause didn't help her either. Worried, Max leaned forward and demanded in a surprisingly, authoritative voice,

"Victoria. What did I do? Did I kill him?"

Victoria shook her head slowly and broke her stare with Max for a long moment.

"No. You didn't kill him."

She finally admitted, rubbing her arm awkwardly. Narrowing her eyes, Max slid off the bed and went over to stand in front of her. Balancing her glass of water in one hand, Max used the other to cup Victoria's chin. She moved it up, forcing Victoria to look at her. The expression on Max's face was no longer worry but anger and she noted the change. As did her soulmates.

"Then what did I do, Vi?"

Victoria opened her mouth but the words got caught in her throat for a few seconds. Shaking it off, Victoria tried to tell Max again and this time, her voice shook a little and it wasn't because she was afraid of Max's reaction. It was because she remembering the event in detail and it was genuinely starting to freak her out.

"You froze him with the water. As in, made him a human ice cube. You grabbed those two mugs, threw the water at him, raised both hands and boom. He was solid. Granted it was only for a few seconds, but Max, I saw that man loose all the blood in his face, blue veins, coated over eyes and he was so cold… ice cold and he didn't unfreeze, until you took me half way across the room. I watched him fall and he didn't wake up, because he went into hypothermia and uh, the manger of the place had to call 911 and… yeah. It was around this time, you passed out. Then I found Chloe and Rachel puking in the bathroom and decided, I'd had enough and we needed to leave. So yeah, care to explain to that? That wasn't time power, Max. You froze him. When did you learn to do that?"

Max stiffened on the spot. Her eyes widened and her entire world stopped for a moment.

"What?"

Max let go of Victoria's chin and staggered back, as if burnt from the statement.

"I did _what?_ "

"She did _what?_ "

Rachel and Chloe asked in unison, their expression mortified. Victoria took another deep breath then exhaled slowly.

"I know this is sudden but I was prepared for this. So, I took a photo a guy."

Now Rachel was off the bed and coming to stand beside Max and didn't know what to think about what Victoria had said. None of them. Just when Max was convinced that it was all a bad dream, Victoria pulled out her smartphone, maximized the image and turned the smartphone around so they could look at the photo for themselves.

"Does that look like mere time power crap to you? If so, why is there frost bite burns on him? Why was he that cold? Come on now, what's the deal, Caulfield? I thought you just had time power so what the heck is going on?"

Max slowly reached out to take the smartphone out of Victoria's hand and into her own. Chloe peered over Max's left shoulder and Rachel over her right. Victoria stood there, waiting patiently for one of them to answer her. When they did not, Victoria took that as a sign that neither Max, Chloe or Rachel knew what was going on. Max continued to stand there, in shock and couldn't seem to take her eyes off the screen. What Chloe feared, came true. She told Rachel the first few weeks of living in L.A. her feelings about everything, questioned her about their memories and if Rachel specially remembered having her fire power. Rachel told her, they could talk about such things later but it never happened. Now, a year later, in a hotel uptown, the four of them were faced with a disturbing truth. Max Caulfield, had acquired a new power of her own. It was not fire, like Rachel's but something just as power. Ice. And judging from the way that man looked in the photo, it was very effective.

"What… does this… mean?"

Max whispered in a broken voice, looking up first at Victoria, then glancing between Chloe and Rachel's faces for some kind of reassurance.

"It means…"

Rachel softly inserted, drawing the other girls attention.

"It looks like I'm going to have to finally tell you about when Chloe and I first met in a alternate reality, our first fight, and a tree in a park where I saw my dad with another woman…"

* * *

 **The End**


End file.
